Dell Open Manage IT Assistant Version 8.7 Users Guide

Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Version 8.
Users Guide
Notes and Cautions

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer. CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates potential damage to hardware or loss of data if instructions are not followed.
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Information in this publication is subject to change without notice. 2010 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of these materials in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden. Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, Dell Precision, OpenManage, OptiPlex, PowerEdge, PowerVault, PowerConnect, EqualLogic, KACE, FlexAddress and Vostro are trademarks of Dell Inc. Intel, Pentium, Xeon, Core and Celeron are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. AMD is a registered trademark and AMD Opteron, AMD Phenom, and AMD Sempron are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. VMware, Virtual SMP, vMotion, vCenter, and vSphere, and ESX Server are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, Windows Server ,Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 , Windows Vista, Active Directory, Internet Explorer, SQL Server, and Excel are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Novell, NetWare, and SUSE are registered trademarks of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Red Hat is a registered trademark of Red Hat, Inc. in the United States and other countries. EMC, FLARE, and Navisphere are registered trademarks of EMC Corporation. Sun and Java are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Mozilla Firefox is a registered trademark of the Mozilla Foundation. Citrix XenServer are trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. and/or one or more of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. The term Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds, the original author of the Linux kernel. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this publication to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own. July 2010
Contents
1 Introducing Dell OpenManage IT Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Simplifying System Administration Identify the Systems for Remote Management . . . . . . . . . . Generate a Consolidated View of All Your Systems . . . . . . . Create Alert Filters and Actions Create Customized Discovery and Inventory Reports . . . .
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Create Tasks That Enable Configuration Management From a Central Console . Install Dell Agents on Dell Systems Monitor the Power and Energy Consumption of Dell Systems . . Components of IT Assistant User Interface Measure the Performance of Systems .
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IT Assistant Services Tier Managed System . Utilities
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Integrated Features Native Install
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User Interface and Online Help Single Sign-On User Authentication Dynamic Groups
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Inventory Information . Reporting Task Management Software Updates . Application Launch User Preferences . Topology View .
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Power and Performance Monitoring . Troubleshooting Tool
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Privilege Levels in the IT Assistant UI . Other Information You May Need
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Getting Started With Dell OpenManage IT Assistant
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Whats New for Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Version 8.7 . . . . . . . .

New Features and Enhancements . Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.5 Enhancement to Microsoft Windows 7 Support . . . . Support for New Alerts .
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35 35 35 35 36 36 36 36 37 37
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SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP1
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Features From Previous Releases . Power Distribution Unit (PDU) and UPS Traps . . . . . . . . Integrated Secure Digital (SD) Card Traps . . . . . . . . . . . Enclosures Controller Cards .
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Contents
Microsoft Windows 7 .
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Enhanced Software Deployment Using IT Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Enhanced Software Update Using Unified Server Configurator (USC) Dell Update Packages (DUPs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Display of SSD Devices .
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38 38 38 38 39 41 41
Discover Dell|EMC Storage Arrays on Non-Default Ports . . . . . . . . Enhanced Software Update MD Array Discovery. . . . . . . . . Support for VMware ESX 4.0 . Dynamic VMware Host Group
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IT Assistant Virtualization Support . VMware ESX Server Integration . Display of VFlash Media, iDRAC6 Express and iDRAC6 Enterprise information . . . . . . Application Launch for IPv6 URLs Enhancement to Out-of-band Management Capability . . .
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Secure Shell (SSH) Connectivity Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . Support for Server Administrator NIC Selection . . . . . . . . . . .
New Search Criterion for Dynamic Groups Created Using IT Assistant . Online Synchronization . Compliance Tool
Online Synchronization Enhancement Simplified Repository View . Power Monitoring
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Dell Client Manager Launch Storage Integration .
Exporting and Importing Tasks . Performance Monitoring .
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Contents
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Event Source Import Utility . . . . . . . . . . IPMI Discovery Support Software Deployment . Custom Bundles .
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46 46 46 46 47 47 47 47 48 48 48 48
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Digital Signature Verification . Favorite Application Launch Storage Integration . Printer Integration Tape Integration. FRU Support . DMI Support
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Power Control Tasks
Planning Your Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Installation . . . . . . .
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Decisions That You Make Before Installation. Primary Planning Questions .
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Selecting the Operating System . Selecting the Web Browser .
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Selecting a Hardware Configuration
Selecting the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 Default Database or SQL 2005 Server SP2 . . . . . . . . . . E-Mail Notification Features.
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Determining Systems Management Protocols Supported Protocols SNMP .
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CIM
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IPMI .
Factors That Affect Protocol Choice . Summary of Pre-Installation Decisions .
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Installing, Uninstalling, and Upgrading Dell OpenManage IT Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Installation Requirements . TCP/IP Protocol Support
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67 67 67 68 69 70 70 70 72 73 75 76 76 76
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Setting Up or Enabling Protocols for Agent Communication . . . . . . . . Installing SNMP on the IT Assistant System . . . . . Enabling CIM
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Setting Up RBAC User Information Prerequisite Checker Installing IT Assistant
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Launching IT Assistant
Upgrading from Previous Version of IT Assistant . . . . . . . . . . .
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Upgrading IT Assistant version 8.x to IT Assistant version 8.7 . . . . . . . . Upgrading IT Assistant version 8.6 to IT Assistant version 8.7 . . . . . . . .
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Upgrading IT Assistant After Migrating to Windows Server 2003 . . . . . . . . System Recovery on Failed Installation .
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Contents
Uninstalling IT Assistant .
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77 78 83
Remote Microsoft SQL Server and IT Assistant . Configuring IT Assistant to Upgrade the Remote Database . . . . . . . .
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Configuring Dell OpenManage IT Assistant to Monitor Your Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Running Applications That Require Different Versions of the JRE On Your System . . . . . . . . . . . Ensure That Agents and Instrumentation Are Installed and Running . . . . . . . . Start IT Assistant .
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IT Assistant in Real-World User Scenarios .
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Configuring SNMP for System Manageability. Details on Configuring the SNMP Service Configuring SNMP on Systems You Want to Manage . . . . . . Configuring CIM for Manageability
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Configuring CIM in the Operating System Best Practices for Setting Up Discovery Targets . . . . . .
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Configuring IPMI for System Manageability Using the Microsoft IPMI Provider . Best Practices for Using the IPMI Discovery Feature. . . . . . . . . Configuring IT Assistant to Discover Storage Devices . . . . . . . . . . .
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Contents
Prerequisites for Dell|EMC . Navisphere Secure CLI . Setup and Configuration Creating Reports
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95 95 95 96 96 97 97 97 98 98 99 100 101 102
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Using the Troubleshooting Tool .
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Discovery in Janes Small-to-Medium Size Business . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Decisions to be Made Prior to Configuring IT Assistant Discovery. Systems Management Protocols Needed for Janes Network . . . Initial Tasks for Finding Systems on Janes Network . . . . . . .
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Using IT Assistant to Find and Manage Janes Networked Systems . Configuring Discovery Settings Configuring Inventory Settings . Configuring Discovery Ranges .
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Configuring Status Polling Settings Changing Discovery, Inventory, and Status Polling Settings After Original Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . Viewing Devices and Launching Applications . . . . . . . . . . . Creating Alert Action Filters and Alert Actions for Janes Small-to-Medium Size Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating an Alert Action Filter Creating an Alert Action
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105 105
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107 107 109 110 111 111 112
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Discovery in Toms Enterprise-Size Business . Configuring the Discovery Settings IP Subnet Ranges for Servers Configuring SNMP on Each Managed System . . . . . .
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Contents
Selecting An Appropriate Discovery Time-Out Value for the Network . . Configuring Discovery Configuration Settings
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113 114 115 116 117
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Configuring Inventory Settings Configuring Discovery Ranges
Configuring Status Polling Settings . Changing Discovery, Inventory, and Status Polling Settings After Original Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating Alert Action Filters and Alert Actions for Toms Large Enterprise . . Toms Administrators Creating an Alert Action Filter
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121 122 123 124 126 126 128 128 129 129 129 129 130
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Notification Alert Actions in the Enterprise Environment . . . . . Creating an Alert Action
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Using IPMI Discovery in Toms Enterprise-Size Business . . .
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Classification and Display of Non-Dell Systems . . . . . . Hardware Logs Launch Points . IPMISH Tasks .
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Viewing Information on a Non-Dell System . . . . . Summary
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Performance and Power Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . .

Performance Monitoring .
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Contents
Power Monitoring
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Performance and Power Monitoring in Toms Enterprise-Size Business . Creating a Performance and Power Monitoring Task . . .
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Monitoring System Usage on the Network . Suggested Threshold Configuration for Performance and Power Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . Resource Usage by SQL Server and IT Assistant. . . . . . . . .
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139 141
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Software Updates
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Using Software Web Updates .
Synchronizing IT Assistant With the Dell Website . . . . . . . .
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Comparing the Update Packages in the Repositories With Those On the Dell Website. . . . . . . . Importing Packages From the Online Repository . . . . . . .
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149 151 151 153 153 155
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Viewing Compliance Report for Downloaded Update Packages/Bundles . Using Software Updates in IT Assistant Using the Server Updates Media . Software Update Using Unified Server Configurator (USC) DUPs . . . . . . .
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Managing Tasks .
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Creating a Command Line Task
Tasks Available in Command Line
Contents
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Creating a Device Control Task
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160 161 162 163 163 164 165 165 166 168 168 169 169
Tasks Available in Device Control Task . Using Server Software Deployment . Installation Scenarios . Upgrade Scenarios .
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Setting the Java Runtime Parameter in Supported Windows Environment . Setting the Java Runtime Parameter in Supported Linux Environment . . . Installing the Dell Agent on a Remote Managed System . . . . . . . . . . . Creating a Software Deployment Task Using Software Updates .
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Creating a Software Update Task . Exporting and Importing Tasks Exporting Tasks
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10 Reporting
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Ready-made Reports . Custom Reporting
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Creating a New Report
Choosing a query-based report: Compliance Tool Report
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Editing, Deleting, or Running Reports .
IT Assistant Database Schema Information .
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Contents
11 Ensuring a Secure Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Installation . . . . . . . . . . . .

TCP/IP Packet Port Security .
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207 208 208 208 208 209 209 209 209 210 211 212 213 214 219 220 220 221
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Securing Managed Desktops, Laptops, and Workstations . . . . . . . . . . . . Securing the Managed Systems Operating System . . . . . . . . . Session Time-out . ASF and the SNMP Protocol
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Securing Managed Server Systems .
Securing the Managed Systems Operating System . . . . . . . . .
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Choosing the Most Secure Managed System Server Protocol. . . . . . . . CIM Monitoring, DCOM, and Windows Authentication . .
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Security and the SNMP Protocol .
Ensuring Database Security When Using IT Assistant . . . . . . . . . Running IT Assistant Behind a Firewall . Setting Up Additional Security for IT Assistant Access . . . . . . . .
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Securing Ports for IT Assistant and Other Supported Dell OpenManage Applications . Single Sign-On .
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Role-Based Access Security Management . Role-Based Access Control Assigning User Privileges .
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Contents
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Creating IT Assistant Users for Supported Windows Operating Systems . Disabling Guest and Anonymous Accounts .
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12 Frequently Asked Questions

Top IT Assistant Questions . Software Updates
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225 229 230 232 234 238 239 240 244 246 247
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Installation Updates
Scope and Capabilities of IT Assistant IT Assistant User Interface Alert Management .
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IT Assistant Services.
IT Assistant Discovery .
Performance Monitoring . IPMI Discovery Support Miscellaneous .
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A Configuring Protocols to Send Information to Dell OpenManage IT Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Configuring the SNMP Service
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SNMP Community Names in IT Assistant and Server Administrator
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Contents
Configuring SNMP Service on a System Running Supported Windows Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . .
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253 253
Configuring the SNMP Service on an IT Assistant Management Station Configuring the SNMP Service on an IT Assistant Managed System Running a Supported Windows Operating System . . . . . . . . . Enabling SNMP Set Operations Configuring Your System to Send SNMP Traps . . . . . . . . . . . Configuring SNMP Agent on Managed Systems Running Supported Linux Operating Systems . . . . . . . . . . . Enabling SNMP Set Operations
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254 256 256
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257 258 259 260 260 261 262 265 265 268 268 269
Changing the SNMP Community Name Configuring Your Managed Systems to Send Traps to IT Assistant . . . . Setting Up SNMP on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server . . . . . . . . . Setting Up SNMP on VMware ESX 3.5 server to Send Traps to IT Assistant . .
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Setting Up SNMP on VMware ESX Server 4.0 and Later For Discovery . . . . . . . . Setting Up CIM .
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Setting Up CIM on Your Managed Systems . . . Configuring the IPMI .
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Configuring BMC From the Server Administrator . . . Configuring BMC From the BIOS POST . . . . . . . .
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Contents
15
B Utilities in Dell OpenManage IT Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

IT Assistant Import Node List Utility . Sample Import Node List Utility Commands . . . . Creating Templates Saving Templates .
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271 273 273 274 275 275 276 276 279
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Using Multiple Templates .
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Leaving Templates in IT Assistant Database Management Utility .
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Using the Command Line Database Management Utility . . . . . . . . . Simple Network Management Protocol Event Source Import Utility . . . . . . .
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C Status Indicators .
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283 284 285 285 285 285 286 286 286 286
Device Group Status and Health Indicators . System and Device Status and Health Indicators . . . . . . . . Alert Indicators.
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Alert Severity Indicators Alert Action Indicators Task Scheduling Indicators Execution Logs Indicators .
Alert Acknowledgement Indicators
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Task Execution Log Indicators Performance and Power Monitoring Log Indicators
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Contents
Application Log Indicators Update Log Indicators
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287 287 287 287 288 288 289 289 290 290 290 291
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Discovery Ranges Indicators
Include Ranges Indicators Performance and Power Monitoring Indicators . .
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Software Updates Indicators Repository Comparison Results Indicators . . . Import Dialog
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Favorite Application Indicators . Troubleshooting Tool Indicators . Task Import Result Indicators
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Device Compliance Result Indicators .
Index
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Contents
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Contents
Introducing Dell OpenManage IT Assistant
Dell OpenManage IT Assistant provides a central point of access to monitor and manage systems on a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN). By allowing an administrator a comprehensive view across the enterprise, IT Assistant can increase system uptime, automate repetitive tasks, and prevent interruption in critical business operations.
Simplifying System Administration

You can use IT Assistant to do the following: "Identify the Systems for Remote Management" "Generate a Consolidated View of All Your Systems" "Create Alert Filters and Actions" "Create Customized Discovery and Inventory Reports" "Create Tasks That Enable Configuration Management From a Central Console" "Install Dell Agents on Dell Systems" "Measure the Performance of Systems" "Monitor the Power and Energy Consumption of Dell Systems"
Identify the Systems for Remote Management

IT Assistant performs discovery and status polling, allowing system administrators to identify systems and devices on a network by host name, IP address, or IP subnet range. During a status poll, IT Assistant queries the health, or status, of a system and its components. Information that is gathered during discovery and status polling is displayed in the management console and written to the IT Assistant database. The default database packaged with IT Assistant is the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2. If you require a more powerful database, use Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP2 or SQL Server 2000.
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Generate a Consolidated View of All Your Systems

IT Assistant allows system administrators to take actions on managed systems from the management console. Using IT Assistant, you can create tasks that apply to a single system or each system in a group, create dynamic groups of systems to facilitate management, and conduct inventory on any system. In addition, IT Assistant provides a consolidated launch point for the following Dell systems management applications and devices: Dell OpenManage Server Administrator, Dell OpenManage Array Manager, Remote Access Console, Dell OpenManage Switch Administrator, Digital keyboard/video/mouse (KVM), printers, tapes, storage devices, client systems and Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) devices.
Create Alert Filters and Actions

You can use IT Assistant to create alert filters to isolate alerts that are of greatest interest to a system administrator. System administrators can then create corresponding alert actions that are triggered when the criteria used to define the alert filter are met. For example, IT Assistant can alert a system administrator when a server fan is in warning or critical state. By creating a filter with a corresponding e-mail action, the administrator is e-mailed if a fan reaches the defined status. The administrator can then act on the notification by using IT Assistant to shut down the system, if necessary, or launch Server Administrator to troubleshoot the problem.
Create Customized Discovery and Inventory Reports

Using IT Assistants report wizard, you can create customized reports for any device or group across the enterprise. These reports can contain device inventory information based on a broad selection of attributes. For example, you can create a report that lists details for each add-on card in all systems in a group, including bus speed and width, manufacturer, and slot length and/or number. IT Assistant also provides a collection of pre-formatted reports that gather common information from the enterprise. The Compliance Tool uses this information to compare the inventory of each managed system with the packages/bundles imported in the IT Assistant repository.
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Create Tasks That Enable Configuration Management From a Central Console

IT Assistant enables you to drive common configuration management tasks across the entire enterprise from a single console. By setting up simple tasks using IT Assistants wizard-based user interface (UI), you can perform device control tasks (shut down/wake up), software updates, deploy agents, export and import tasks, or run command line tasks on systems in your managed group. IT Assistant allows you to load Dell Update Packages (DUP) and System Update Sets (from the Dell Server Updates media or from the Dell Support website at support.dell.com) into a central repository, and run a compliance check on systems in the enterprise. The system administrator can then instruct IT Assistant to perform the updates immediately or according to a defined schedule. NOTE: For Dell OpenManage version 5.3 and above, the Software Update Utility is available only on the Dell Server Updates DVD. However, for Dell OpenManage version below 5.3, the Software Update Utility is available on the Dell PowerEdge Server Update Utility CD. For the purposes of this guide, the Dell Server Updates DVD and the Dell PowerEdge Server Update Utility CD will be hereafter called the Server Updates media. NOTE: To perform a software update, the appropriate agent software must be installed on the target device. For more information on agents, see Agents on the Systems That You Want to Monitor."
Install Dell Agents on Dell Systems

IT Assistant provides an integrated method to install Dell OpenManage Server Administrator on supported Dell systems. Server Administrator provides a comprehensive, one-to-one systems management solution and is designed for system administrators to manage systems locally and remotely on a network. Server administrator provides the necessary instrumentation for the server and helps maximize server manageability (discovering, classifying, inventorying, monitoring systems, and updating the BIOS, firmware and drivers) from IT Assistant. You can install Server Administrator from the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD or from the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.
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Measure the Performance of Systems

IT Assistant helps you to monitor the performance of a device or a group of devices with supported operating systems over a specified period of time. Performance is monitored with the help of a set of performance counters that you can configure to send alerts when the thresholds are crossed.
Monitor the Power and Energy Consumption of Dell Systems

IT Assistant helps you to monitor the power consumption of a single system, a group of systems, and unknown devices on your network. Power Monitoring helps you to collect, store, and display the instantaneous values of power (watts) consumed, amperes drawn by each power supply, and the total energy consumed by a device.
Components of IT Assistant
IT Assistant has the following components: "User Interface" "IT Assistant Services Tier" (Network Monitoring Service, Connection Service, and database) "Managed System" "Utilities"
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Figure 1-1. IT Assistant User Interface, Services System, and Managed System
IT Assistant User Interface
IT Assistant Management Station DSM IT Assistant Connection Service DSM IT Assistant Network Monitor
2607
SNMP/NaviCLI 162 443 161 IPMI
1024
SNMP 162 161 SNMP
Dynamically assigned
CIM/WMI
65535
6389
SNMP 162 UPS 162 PDU SNMP
Dell|EMC Storage Device 623
Printer/Tape/ KVM 162 161
Dell System
IPMI-Enabled Device
RAC Managed systems
NOTE: The numbers in Figure 1-1 are the port numbers used by IT Assistant to communicate with the managed systems. For more information on the ports used by IT Assistant, see IT Assistant UDP/TCP Default Ports."
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User Interface
The IT Assistant UI provides a graphical user view of the information gathered by the IT Assistant Services Tier. This information depicts the overall health and configuration details of each system in the managed group. From the IT Assistant UI, you can perform a wide variety of configuration and management tasks, such as specifying systems to discover, creating alert filters and actions, and power-cycling systems. The IT Assistant UI is based on Sun Microsystems, Java technology. The browser-based UI can be launched from the management station itself or remotely from a different system through either a web browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox) or a web browser launched in a terminal service session on a Windows or Linux machine.
IT Assistant Services Tier

The IT Assistant Services Tier is installed as part of the standard installation. Technically, the Services Tier consists of: Network Monitoring Service Connection Service Database
In highly customized installations, some users may install their database on a separate system. If you are configuring the simple network management protocol (SNMP) agent on a managed system, trap destinations for the SNMP service must point to the host name or IP address of the system where IT Assistant is installed.
Managed System
For the purposes of IT Assistant, a managed system is a system that has supported instrumentation or agents installed that allow the system to be discovered and polled for status. In other words, systems in the managed group that are being monitored by IT Assistant are referred to as managed systems; the system running the IT Assistant UI is generally called the network management station.
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IT Assistant simplifies system administration of many managed systems by allowing an administrator to monitor them from one management console. For more information on agents, see Agents on the Systems That You Want to Monitor. In this guide, the terms IT Assistant system or network management station are used to identify the system on which the IT Assistant software is installed.
Utilities
IT Assistant has three utilities: Import Node List Utility: Allows you to create a file that defines a discovery list comprised of managed devices, IP addresses, or IP address ranges. Database Management Utility: Allows you to perform operations on databases and tables that reside in the IT Assistant data repository. Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Event Source Import Utility: Allows you to import multiple event sources, not natively supported in IT Assistant, into the IT Assistant database.
Integrated Features
Native Install
The Dell OpenManage systems management software products are installed using the install process native to the operating system.
User Interface and Online Help

IT Assistant user interface (UI) includes wizard-based dialogs for performing many standard tasks. Comprehensive Online Help is available, both from the Help link at the top right of the IT Assistant window and from contextspecific Help buttons within individual dialogs and wizards.
Single Sign-On
IT Assistant supports Single Sign-On on Dell systems running supported Windows operating systems. Use Single Sign-On to bypass the login page and directly access IT Assistant by clicking the IT Assistant icon on your desktop. The desktop icon queries the registry to see if the Automatic Logon with current username and password option is enabled in Internet Explorer. If this
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option is enabled, then Single Sign-On is executed; otherwise, the normal login page is displayed. For more information on how to set these options, see "Single Sign-On" on page 219.
User Authentication
Starting with version 7.0, IT Assistant uses operating system or domain-based authentication. The IT Assistant 6.x read/write password is no longer used. For information on the Microsoft Active Directory schema and how to configure it for use with IT Assistant, including how to install the required snap-in, see the Dell OpenManage Management Station Software Installation Guide available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals.
Dynamic Groups
You can create dynamic groups of devices to help you manage and monitor them more effectively. For more information, see the Group Configuration topic in the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help. NOTE: You can re-use the device selection queries created in one module of IT Assistant in other modules as well. For example, a query created from the search-devices module is also available when you are creating or editing a report, an alert filter, or a task.
Inventory Information
IT Assistant collects inventory information, such as software and firmware versions, as well as device-related information about memory, processor, power supply, PCI cards and embedded devices, and storage. For details about the inventory information that IT Assistant collects and stores in its database, see "Add Report Using the IT Assistant Reporting System in the Online Help. For configuring inventory settings, see Inventory Poll Settings Configuring IT Assistant to Perform Inventory in the Online Help.
Reporting
IT Assistant offers a customizable reporting feature that gathers data from the IT Assistant database. Report results are based on the data gathered in the last discovery and/or inventory cycle.
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The report interface wizard is designed to allow you to select actual fields in the IT Assistant database. You can create a report containing information such as: Details of the hardware devices being managed by IT Assistant, including systems, switches, and storage devices BIOS, firmware, and driver versions Field Replaceable Units (FRU) data Other asset or Cost Of Ownership details
You can also specify the output format, such as HTML, XML, or comma-separated values (CSV). CSV is normally used in a spreadsheet tool, such as Microsoft Excel. IT Assistant saves the report definitions for later use and retrieval. To use the IT Assistant report wizard, select ViewsReports. A full description of the capabilities and steps for using the report wizard is available in the IT Assistant Online Help.
Task Management
IT Assistant provides an updated task management functionality that allows you to set up and remotely run certain tasks on all systems in your enterprise, including device control (shutdown and wake up), software update, software deployment, exporting and importing tasks, and command line execution. To use the task management functionality, select ManageTasks. For more information, see the Task topic in the IT Assistant Online Help.
Software Updates
IT Assistant allows you to manage your hardware and software from a single console. You can also update the BIOS, firmware, and drivers using IT Assistant. IT Assistant uses Dell Update Packages and bundles (System Update Sets) to update the drivers and firmware. You can import the packages either from the Dell Server Updates media or the Dell website at support.dell.com to a central repository in IT Assistant. You can compare the packages to the software versions currently running on your enterprise systems, perform device compliance, and then decide on updating systems that are not in compliance, either immediately or according to a schedule you define.
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You can also customize the view of the package information by operating system, component name, system type, and software type. You can also update only part of the system sets by using the custom bundle feature. To use the software update feature, select Manage Software Updates. For more information, see the Software Update topic in the IT Assistant Online Help.
Power and Performance Monitoring

Performance Monitoring helps you monitor the performance of a group of devices with supported Windows or Linux operating systems over a specified period of time. The power monitoring feature helps you to collect, store, and display the instantaneous values of power (watts) consumed, amperes drawn by each power supply, and the total energy consumed by a device.
Application Launch
IT Assistant provides a consolidated launch point for the following Dell systems management applications: Server Administrator, Array Manager, Remote Access Console, CMC Console, Dell OpenManage Switch Administrator, Digital keyboard/video/mouse (KVM), printers, tapes, storage devices, Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) devices, and client systems. For more information, see the Application Launch topic in the IT Assistant Online Help. NOTE: Network Address Translation (NAT) is not a supported configuration on IT Assistant. Therefore, application launch does not work in conjunction with NAT, even though IT Assistant successfully discovers the managed systems. You should use IT Assistant to connect only to the IP address with which a system was discovered. Other IP addresses available on the system may not be accessible to IT Assistant. In many implementations, such as a server farm or load balancer implementation, the system will be behind a NAT. In such environments, IT Assistant will fail to connect to Server Administrator running on those systems.
Troubleshooting Tool
A graphical troubleshooting tool is available at ToolsTroubleshooting Tool to diagnose and resolve discovery and configuration problems, including SNMP and Common Information Model (CIM) related issues. You can also use the tool to test device and e-mail connectivity. For more information, see the IT Assistant Online Help.
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User Preferences
User Preferences are independent of user privileges. For example, you can use this feature to customize your view of the device groups or to select a default filter when you visit the alert logs view. You can access this feature from ToolsUser Preferences. For more information on how to use this feature, see User Preferences Customizing the IT Assistant User Interface in the Online Help.
Topology View
In the UI, you can select ViewsTopology to see a graphical presentation of the devices in your network. When you double-click the icon for the group you want to view, you move down through the hierarchy. In addition, you can display detailed device information by moving the cursor over each icon. You can also perform tasks on the devices in this view, such as application launch, refresh inventory and status, and troubleshooting.
Privilege Levels in the IT Assistant UI

IT Assistant provides different privileges to its three user levels who can perform various tasks using the windows, dialogs, and wizards in the UI. The three user levels are: User, Power User, and Administrator. Users have read-only access to IT Assistant. Power Users have administrator access except: Configuring IT Assistant for alerts and discovery Creating a favorite application Editing a task Running a performance and power monitoring task that has been paused by an administrator
Administrators have full access to all the operations within IT Assistant.
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Other Information You May Need

This Users Guide is intended to present a high-level view of IT Assistant. Not all features and capabilities are shown in this document. However, each feature is fully explained in the Online Help available from the IT Assistant UI. In addition to this guide, you can access the following guides available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals. On the Manuals page, click SoftwareSystems Management. Click on the appropriate product link on the right-side to access the documents. The Dell Management Console Users Guide provides information on installing, configuring, and using Dell Management Console. Dell Management Console is a Web-based systems management software that enables you to discover and inventory devices on your network. It also provides advanced functions, such as health and performance monitoring of networked devices and patch management capabilities for Dell systems. Dell Management Console replaces and has significant enhancements over the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant. The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Users Guide documents the features, installation, and services that make up Dells primary suite of one-to-one server management tools. The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator SNMP Reference Guide documents the Server Administrator SNMP management information base (MIB). The MIB defines variables that extend the standard MIB to cover the capabilities of systems management agents. The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator CIM Reference Guide documents the Server Administrator CIM provider, an extension of the standard management object format (MOF) file. The CIM provider MOF documents supported classes of management objects. The Dell Systems Software Support Matrix provides information about the various Dell systems, the operating systems supported by these systems, and the Dell OpenManage components that can be installed on these systems. The Glossary provides information about the terms used in this document.
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You can also find the following guides on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals and on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD: The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Installation Guide contains instructions to help you install Dell OpenManage Server Administrator. The Dell OpenManage Management Station Software Installation Guide contains instructions to help you install Dell OpenManage management station software that includes Baseboard Management Utility, Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC) Tools, and Active Directory Snap-In.
You can access the IT Assistant Online Help either by clicking the Help link at the top right of the browser window or by clicking the Help button within the dialog or wizard you are using.
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You can use Dell OpenManage IT Assistant to monitor and manage systems on a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), as well as identify the groups of systems that you want to manage remotely and consolidate your view of all systems, giving you a central launch point for managing these systems. Management station is the system where IT Assistant is installed. A management station can be used to remotely manage one or more managed systems from a central location. The systems that are monitored by IT Assistant are called managed system. The steps for installing and using IT Assistant are as follows: "Plan your IT Assistant installation" Depending on your company's network management objectives, you can use IT Assistant as a discovery and status polling tool that quickly scans the network to retrieve managed system information, to receive and forward alerts to support personnel about problems on specific managed systems for performance and power monitoring, to update firmware and drivers across your network and as a tool to run scheduled tasks across your network. "Install IT Assistant" You can download and install IT Assistant from the Dell Support website at support.dell.com. The Dell OpenManage Management Station installer program is used to install IT Assistant as well as other Dell OpenManage software. "Set up protocols" You must configure the appropriate protocols (SNMP, CIM, and IPMI) to discover the systems in your network and to receive alerts that report the status of their components. For more information, see "Configuring Protocols to Send Information to Dell OpenManage IT Assistant" on page 251.
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"Configure IT Assistant to monitor your systems" IT Assistant can perform a variety of tasks for each system in your network. To be able to perform these tasks, configure IT Assistant to: Discover systems, printers, switches, and storage devices. For more information, see "Configuring Discovery Settings" on page 99. Collect inventory information about memory, processor, power supply, embedded devices, and software and firmware versions. For more information, see "Configuring Inventory Settings" on page 100. Define status polling settings to perform a power and connectivity health check for all discovered devices. This determines whether a device is operating normally, is in a non-normal state, or is powered down. For more information, see "Configuring Status Polling Settings" on page 101. Define a discovery range. A discovery range is a network segment (subnet, range of IP addresses on a subnet, individual IP addresses, or an individual host name) that IT Assistant uses to discover devices. For more information, see "Configuring Discovery Ranges" on page 102. Creating an Alert Action: To receive notification when, for example, a critical or warning threshold is met on one of the managed systems. Creating a Performance and Power Monitoring Task: To analyze performance of systems based on, for example, memory usage and power consumption. Using Software Web Updates: To obtain the latest drivers, firmware, and BIOS updates for the systems on your network. Creating a New Report: To obtain data in a presentable format.
Perform various tasks, such as:
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Whats New for Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Version 8.7
Dell OpenManage IT Assistant versions do not support new devices such as Fiber Channel Switches. You can use Dell Management Console to manage and monitor these devices. The Dell Management Console Users Guide has information about installing, configuring, and using Dell Management Console. Dell Management Console is a Web-based systems management software that enables you to discover and inventory devices on your network. It also provides advanced functions, such as health and performance monitoring of networked devices and patch management capabilities for Dell PowerEdge systems.
New Features and Enhancements

IT Assistant 8.7 supports the following new features:
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.5

IT Assistant can discover and manage servers installed with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.5 operating system. You must also install the required Dell OpenManage software from the OpenManage product suite to discover and manage devices.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP1

IT Assistant can discover and manage servers installed with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP1 operating system. You must also install the required Dell OpenManage software from the OpenManage product suite to discover and manage devices.
Enhancement to Microsoft Windows 7 Support

Now you can install IT Assistant management station on Microsoft Windows 7 operating system.
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Support for New Alerts

IT Assistant can receive the following new alerts from Dell OpenManage Storage Management: Persistent hot spare, disk power property, and configuration command related alerts from controllers. Check consistency and availability related alerts from virtual disks. Physical disk power status and physical disk configuration data related alerts from physical disks.
Features From Previous Releases

The following features were introduced in previous versions of IT Assistant:
Power Distribution Unit (PDU) and UPS Traps

IT Assistant can receive integrated traps from PDU and UPS devices. PDU and UPS devices are grouped under the Unknown category and have no discovery support. Navigate to AlertsCategories/SourcesAlert CategoriesPDU for the list of PDU traps and AlertsCategories/SourcesAlert CategoriesUPS for the list of UPS traps. The supported PDU devices comply with the PDUs listed in the DellrPDU.MIB file. The supported UPS devices comply with the UPS devices listed in the upsMIB.MIB and DELL_SNMP_UPS.MIB files. The MIB files are available on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD or on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.
Integrated Secure Digital (SD) Card Traps

The new generation Dell PowerEdge systems (yx1x) use internal SD cards for embedded hypervisor and vFlash media. IT Assistant can discover and monitor the health and redundancy status of SD cards. Similar to other SNMP traps, you can associate alerts actions such as, e-mail notification or launch an application for the SD card related traps. NOTE: In the server name format yxxx; y denotes alphabets, for example M, R, or T; and x denotes numbers.
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For example, you can associate alert actions for the traps that are generated on insertion or removal of VFlash media or embedded hypervisor media. This allows you to: Secure the systems from malicious data being transferred through the VFlash media or embedded hypervisor media. Detect unauthorized removal of VFlash media or embedded hypervisor media.
For more information, see the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Users Guide available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals.
Enclosures
IT Assistant supports Dell PowerVault MD1200 and PowerVault MD1220 enclosures.
Controller Cards
IT Assistant supports PERC H200, PERC H700, and PERC H800 controller cards. The level of support is similar to the supporting for existing controller cards in the previous versions of IT Assistant.
Microsoft Windows 7
IT Assistant can discover and manage systems running Microsoft Windows 7 operating system; You must also install the required Dell OpenManage software to discover and manage these systems.
Enhanced Software Deployment Using IT Assistant

NOTE: This document contains information on installing and using the Remote Enablement feature of Dell OpenManage Server Administrator. It also contains information on using the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Web Server to manage remote nodes. The Remote Enablement feature is currently supported only on Microsoft Windows, Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V role, VMware ESXi, and Citrix XenServer 5.6 operating systems. Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Web Server and Server Instrumentation are now separately installable components. Earlier versions of IT Assistant supported only Server Administrator deployment. Starting with this release, you can use IT Assistant to selectively deploy either Server Administrator, Server Administrator Web Server, or both.
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If you install both the behavior is similar to the previous versions of Dell OpenManage Server Administrator. Also, Server Administrator Web Server component can be installed on both server and non-server systems. See "Using Server Software Deployment" on page 162 for more information.
Enhanced Software Update Using Unified Server Configurator (USC) Dell Update Packages (DUPs)
With earlier versions of IT Assistant you could use Dell Update Packages (DUPs) to update BIOS, firmware, and drivers on Dell systems. Starting with IT Assistant 8.5, in addition to these package updates, IT Assistant also supports the USC DUPs. See "Software Update Using Unified Server Configurator (USC) DUPs" on page 155 for more information.
Display of SSD Devices

The physical disk information table on the Device Details page in IT Assistant displays the media type information. The possible values are Solid State Device (SSD) and Hard Disk Device (HDD).
Discover Dell|EMC Storage Arrays on Non-Default Ports

Starting with IT Assistant 8.5, you can discover Dell|EMC arrays on ports other than the default port 2162.
Enhanced Software Update MD Array Discovery

Starting with IT Assistant 8.5, you no longer need to upgrade IT Assistant to support new MD arrays.
Support for VMware ESX 4.0

Starting with IT Assistant 8.5, you can also manage VMware ESX 4.0 hosts. However, on an unconfigured operating system installation, IT Assistant categorizes the ESX 4.0 hosts under the Unknown group. To enable categorization of ESX 4.0 hosts under the Servers and VMware ESX Servers group, you should apply some configuration changes on each host. See "Setting Up SNMP on VMware ESX Server 4.0 and Later For Discovery" on page 262 for more information about the required SNMP settings.
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IT Assistant Virtualization Support

IT Assistant supports virtualization environments including VMware ESX Server 3.5 and later, VMware ESX Server 4.0 Update 1, VMware ESX Server 4.1, VMware ESXi 3.5 Update 4 and later, VMware ESXi 4.0 Update 1 Flash and HDD, VMware ESXi 4.1 Flash, Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V role, and Citrix Xenserver 5.0 - 5.6.
Table 3-1. IT Assistant Support for Virtualization Virtualization Environment IT Assistant Features Supported IT Assistant Features Not Supported
VMware Grouping of host and guests on Performance monitoring ESX Server 3.5 and the Devices tree and display of later host-guest association information, power monitoring, alerting, application launch, tasks, software updates (BIOS, firmware, and driver), and inventory. VMware ESXi 3.5 VMware ESXi 3.5 Update 4 traps Update 4 and later are displayed. Systems with VMware ESXi 3.5 Update 4 and later are discovered under the Unknown category. Grouping of host and guests on the Devices tree and display of host-guest association information, performance and power monitoring, application launch, tasks, software updates, and inventory.
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Table 3-1. IT Assistant Support for Virtualization (continued) Virtualization Environment IT Assistant Features Supported IT Assistant Features Not Supported
Windows Server Grouping of host and guests on Not Applicable 2008 with Hyper-V the Devices tree and display of role host-guest association information, performance and power monitoring, alerting, application launch, tasks, software updates, and inventory, automatic update of the host configuration if a virtual machine migrates from one host to another. Canned report for guests running on Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V role are similar to VMware ESX Server. For more information, see the IT Assistant Online Help. Citrix XenServer Performance and power monitoring, alerting, application launch, tasks, software updates, and inventory Grouping of host and guests on the Devices tree and display of host-guest association information.
IT Assistant does not use VMware APIs for host or guest discovery or correlation. IT Assistant supports discovery of VMware host only with SNMP. On discovering a VMware host IT Assistant creates a custom group with the string Host_<hostname (IP, DNS name and so on)>. IT Assistant supports discovery of a Windows guest with both SNMP and CIM and Linux guests can be discovered only with SNMP CIM, WMI or . SNMP must be enabled on guests for successful discovery. On discovering a guest IT Assistant lists the guests under the Host_<hostname> group only when the host is also discovered in IT Assistant. The discovered guest has a briefcase icon. There is also an additional entry of the guest under the Unknown group. IT Assistant lists the guest only under Unknown group if the host is not discovered in IT Assistant or if the guest does not respond to the discovery protocol.
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Dynamic VMware Host Group

IT Assistant discovers VMware ESX Server systems. Each host is discovered under the Device Group VMware ESX Servers Hosts. For each host, IT Assistant creates a new group Host_<hostname>. The ESX Server host and virtual machines (on discovery) are added as child nodes in this group. Also, IT Assistant automatically updates the host configuration if a virtual machine moves from one host to another. You are not required to manually refresh the inventory of the source or destination hosts to reflect the change in hosts. NOTE: IT Assistant automatically displays the new status of the virtual machine provided you set the trap destination correctly in the host system. For more information, see the VMware Basic Administration Guide on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals.
VMware ESX Server Integration

You can use IT Assistant to discover and monitor VMware ESX Server version 3.x, as well as to retrieve information about the associated virtual machines through Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). See "Setting Up SNMP on VMware ESX 3.5 server to Send Traps to IT Assistant" on page 261 for more information. You can discover multiple virtual machines in your network environment using IT Assistant, and view them in the Device tree with the other devices in your network. You can discover: ESX Server systems through SNMP and IPMI only Linux virtual machines through SNMP only Windows-based virtual machines through SNMP and CIM NOTE: IT Assistant can manage only those ESX Server hosts that have Dell OpenManage Server Administrator version 5.x or later installed on them. If Dell OpenManage Server Administrator is installed on the ESX Server host, the host will be discovered under the Server and the VMware ESX Server Hosts categories in the Device tree. NOTE: If Server Administrator is not installed on the ESX Server host, you can discover the system using Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI). In this case, the system is discovered under IPMI-discovered devices.
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NOTE: To discover ESX Server hosts, you must configure IPMI on the ESX Server host as well. For more information, see the white paper on Managing Dell PowerEdge Servers Using IPMItool on the Dell website at www.dell.com. Click View Refresh in the Devices view to: View the virtual machines names in the Device Details page of the host; if you have discovered the host before the virtual machines. Move the virtual machines names from Unknown to Guest Devices under VMware ESX Server in the Device tree; if you have discovered the virtual machine before the host. NOTE: Right-click the host name and select Refresh Inventory if the virtual machine state has changed, or if you have moved the virtual machine to a different host. Starting with IT Assistant 8.1, you can generate reports of virtual machines using the pre-defined virtual machine report. For more information, see "Custom Reporting" on page 172.
Display of VFlash Media, iDRAC6 Express and iDRAC6 Enterprise information

The VFlash Media, Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller 6 (iDRAC6) Express and iDRAC6 Enterprise enables On-board Server Diagnostics and the Unified Server Configurator for firmware update, hardware configuration including RAID creation and OS deployment, available from the BIOS during system boot. IT Assistant displays information on VFlash Media and iDRAC6 Express information in the iDRAC information table and iDRAC6 Enterprise details in the Field Replacement Unit table in the Device details page.
Application Launch for IPv6 URLs

You can launch Dell OpenManage Server Administrator from IT Assistant using IPv6 URL in a network consisting of systems that have both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. However, the device discovery feature of IT Assistant, still uses the IPv4 addresses.
Enhancement to Out-of-band Management Capability

On xx1x systems, iDRAC6 allows for out-of-band SNMP management. You can use both SNMP and IPMI for out-of-band management. 42
Secure Shell (SSH) Connectivity Troubleshooting

The troubleshooting tool of IT Assistant has been enhanced to detect the cause of SSH connection failure. You can use the SSH troubleshooting feature of IT Assistant to determine failures such as incorrect credentials, SSH daemon not running, SSH port blocked by the firewall, SSH not running on the configured port and so on, for Linux systems. A common scenario where this test can be run, is to detect failure of the performance or power monitoring task on the target Linux system.
Support for Server Administrator NIC Selection

Dell OpenManage Server Administrator supports configuration of additional LAN on Motherboards (LOMs) for NIC selection (sideband interface). You can use IT Assistant to create a Remote Server Administrator CLI task for NIC selection.
New Search Criterion for Dynamic Groups Created Using IT Assistant

You can now use the System Revision Number criterion for searching devices in a new group. Also, you can combine this criteria with System Model for retrieving information on devices that are part of new groups. For example, search for devices that have System Model 1900 and System Revision Number II for retrieving a list of all Dell PowerEdge 1900 II servers.
Online Synchronization Enhancement

IT Assistant inventories the systems on the network and stores the information in the database. Based on this information, IT Assistant intelligently decides on the packages to be downloaded. In other words, IT Assistant downloads only those packages and bundles that correspond to at least one managed system in your network.
Online Synchronization
You can now check the Dell FTP site at ftp.dell.com periodically for availability of new updates. You can configure various options for online synchronization: Select the schedule to synchronize IT Assistant with the Dell Support website Configure connection settings Select the criteria to check for updates available on the Dell Support website
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Configure additional attributes, such as e-mail notification Configure automatic downloads and imports to the IT Assistant repository NOTE: IT Assistant version 8.1 and later download only hardware packages (BIOS, firmware, and drivers), and not software (OpenManage) packages.
Simplified Repository View

The Software Update view in IT Assistant displays a simplified view of the repositories by default. In this view you will only see the update packages/bundles that correspond to at least one device on your network. To view all update packages/bundles available in the repositories (as seen in earlier IT Assistant versions), select the Classic View.
Compliance Tool
IT Assistant provides an easy launch point on the user interface (UI) to generate a comprehensive compliance report for the systems being managed. It evaluates each system for current status of BIOS, firmware, and drivers against the update packages/bundles imported into the IT Assistant repository. The output is available in easy-to-use Microsoft Excel format.
Power Monitoring
You can use IT Assistant to set thresholds for power management using the Server Administrator command line interface (CLI) as well as for power consumption reporting. Power Monitoring is supported on Microsoft Windows, Linux, and VMware ESX Server and Citrix Xenserver operating systems. NOTE: This feature is supported only on systems that have PMBus capability and requires Server Administrator 5.3 or later to be installed on the system.
Dell Client Manager Launch

IT Assistant displays Dell Client Manager (DCM) launch point for those devices that have Dell OpenManage Client Instrumentation 7.4 or later installed. NOTE: The IT Assistant user interface should be running on a Microsoft Windows operating system for the DCM Web page to display.
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You can discover client systems by providing the required CIM credentials in the Discovery wizard. See "Configuring Discovery Settings" on page 99 for more information. The discovered systems will display under Clients in the device tree. Right-click the device and select DCM Launch under Application Launch to open the: DCM Web page DCM feature definition page, if the device is not managed by an instance of DCM
Exporting and Importing Tasks

The export/import feature allows you to export the task configuration information for the selected tasks in IT Assistant to an XML file. You can import this file to a new network environment where IT Assistant is installed, instead of recreating and reconfiguring the tasks.
Storage Integration
Starting with IT Assistant 8.0, you can use IT Assistant to: Discover, monitor, and display Dell PowerVault Modular Disk storage arrays, such as the PowerVault MD3000. Display the inventory information for the Modular Disk storage arrays, such as name, model, firmware version, configured disk space, and so on. Receive Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) alerts, and format and display them for monitoring Modular Disk storage arrays, such as the PowerVault MD3000. NOTE: If you have installed the Modular Disk Storage Array Management Software on a system to monitor the PowerVault MD3000, you can use it to configure and send these alerts.
Performance Monitoring
Performance Monitoring helps you monitor the performance of a group of supported Microsoft Windows or Linux systems in your network environment over a specified period of time. Performance is monitored with the help of performance counters available for each component. You can select and monitor the performance counters. You can also configure threshold alerts to flag and notify you of under- or over-utilized systems on your network. For more information, see "Performance and Power Monitoring" on page 131.
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Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Event Source Import Utility

You can import multiple event sources, that are not natively supported in IT Assistant, into the IT Assistant database. For more information, see "Simple Network Management Protocol Event Source Import Utility" on page 279.
IPMI Discovery Support

IT Assistant discovers systems equipped with baseboard management controllers (BMC) that support Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) versions 1.5 or later. IT Assistant communicates with the BMC directly or through the Windows IPMI Provider on a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 system. IT Assistant discovers and classifies the BMC of the discovered system through IPMI. However, if the Dell agent is installed on this system, IT Assistant will correlate the information with the discovered system through the service tag.
Software Deployment
You can use this feature to deploy and upgrade Dell OpenManage Server Administrator on Dell systems running Microsoft Windows, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, Red Hat Enterprise operating systems as well as VMware ESX server that do not have Server Administrator installed. Server Administrator assists in discovering, classifying, inventorying, monitoring systems, and updating software on your network.
Digital Signature Verification

IT Assistant checks the authenticity and integrity of the update packages and MSI files using digital signature verification. Digital signature verification of each Dell Update Package (DUP) will happen when you manually import the packages from the Server Updates media or a repository on a network share. IT Assistant also supports signature verification for the Server Administrator MSI package. NOTE: For Dell OpenManage version 5.3 and above, the Software Update Utility is available only on the Dell Server Updates DVD. However, for Dell OpenManage versions below 5.3, the Software Update Utility is available on the Dell PowerEdge
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Server Update Utility CD. For the purposes of this guide, the Dell Server Updates DVD and the Dell PowerEdge Server Update Utility CD will be hereafter called the
Server Updates media.
Custom Bundles
With IT Assistant, you can create a custom System Update Set or bundle. You can create custom bundles that contain only the packages you want. For example, you can create a custom bundle out of an existing Dell custom bundle that will enable you to update just the device drivers on a given set of target devices. This custom bundle can be subsequently used to drive system compliance reports and do custom updates.
Favorite Application Launch

IT Assistant supports launching user-configured applications for multiple devices or a group of devices, such as printers and switches. For more information, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help.
Storage Integration
IT Assistant discovers Dell|EMC arrays in your storage environment and displays them in the Dell|EMC Arrays category present in the Storage Devices group. For more information, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help.
Printer Integration
IT Assistant version 8.0 and later support discovery of Dell network-enabled printers and classifies them under the Printers category in the Device tree. IT Assistant uses SNMP to communicate with the printer devices. Dell printers have implemented a standard Printer MIB, enabling standardized access to important information. NOTE: You can also use this feature of IT Assistant to discover non-Dell printers in your network environment. For more information, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help.
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Tape Integration
IT Assistant version 8.0 and later support discovery of those Dell tape library devices that have an out-of-band management port. IT Assistant classifies them under the Tape Devices category under the Storage Devices tree. For more information, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help.
FRU Support
With IT Assistant version 8.0 and later, you can view the field replaceable units (FRU) information for a managed system. IT Assistant retrieves FRU information from Dell OpenManage Server Administrator during an inventory cycle and stores it in the database. For more information, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help.
DMI Support
IT Assistant no longer supports the Desktop Management Interface (DMI) protocol. As a result, systems running DMI using Dell OpenManage Server Agent 4.5.1 (and earlier) and Dell OpenManage Client Instrumentation 6.0 (and earlier) are not discovered by IT Assistant.
Power Control Tasks

Starting with IT Assistant 8.0 and later, before trying SNMP power control tasks, IT Assistant will try the omremote command on the managed system. This applies only if the managed system has Dell OpenManage version 4.3 or later installed. NOTE: For Dell OpenManage versions earlier than 4.3, the Power Control tasks remain unchanged. NOTE: The omremote command uses the operating system credentials for authentication. IT Assistant version 8.0 and later support performing remote power control operations and alert processing for Alert Standard Format (ASF) 2.0 compliant devices. NOTE: IT Assistant uses the in-band Broadcom Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) provider to verify if a device has ASF capabilities. See the system documentation for enabling remote power control through ASF.
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Planning Your Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Installation

It is important to plan before installing Dell OpenManage IT Assistant. Depending on your company's network management objectives, you could use IT Assistant: primarily as a discovery and status polling tool that quickly scans the network to retrieve managed system information to receive and forward alerts to support personnel about problems on specific managed systems for performance and power monitoring to update firmware and drivers across your network as a tool to run scheduled tasks across your network.
Decisions That You Make Before Installation

After you have determined your network size and network management objectives, you must then make configuration decisions specific to your network management goals. If your network is well established and you already have a well-defined IT Assistant management plan, many of these decision-points may have already been addressed. Pre-installation planning includes choosing the following: Event filtering and notification strategy Database that will be used to store IT Assistant data Hardware configuration Operating system
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Systems management protocol(s) Agents for your managed systems NOTE: This document assumes that your systems are connected through a TCP/IP network and makes no assumption regarding your network's complexity or whether you are already using any systems management applications. In addition, no assumption is made regarding the type of systems and devices that exist on your network. See "Installing, Uninstalling, and Upgrading Dell OpenManage IT Assistant" on page 67 for all installation, uninstallation, and upgrade procedures.
To use the complete functionality of IT Assistant, ensure that you have the required 32-bit compatible libraries installed on the managed Linux systems. The following 32-bit compatible libraries are required on the managed Linux systems. compat-libstdc++-33-3.2.3 libxml2 pam Linux-gate.so.1 Libdsupt32.so.1 Libdl.so.2 Libz.so.1 Libpthread.so Libicsvc32.so.6 Libstdc++.so.5 Libm.so.6 Libgcc_s.so.1 Libc.so.6 Ld-linux.so.2
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Primary Planning Questions

System types and network management objectives differ among enterprises. Answering the following questions can better prepare you for an IT Assistant installation that will support your company's goals for network management. After reading this section, see Table 4-4 before performing your installation. 1 What are the basic hardware and operating system requirements for installing IT Assistant? Does my enterprise meet them? 2 Is there any reason to select a particular operating system among those that are supported when installing IT Assistant? 3 Is there any reason to select a particular hardware configuration when installing IT Assistant? 4 Do I want to use the default installed database (Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2) or should I install the Microsoft SQL 2005 Server SP2 database? How many systems do I want to discover or manage? How dense do I expect the event traffic to be on my network? What type of systems do I want to manage? What agents and instrumentation are currently installed on my managed systems? What agents do I want to eventually run on my managed systems? Which protocols do these agents require or support?
5 Which systems management protocol(s) should I plan to install or enable?
6 How should I organize my managed systems IP addresses if I am using more than one systems management protocol on a subnet?
Selecting the Operating System

You can install IT Assistant on any system that is running an operating system listed in Table 4-1.
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Table 4-1. Minimum Supported Operating System Requirements for IT Assistant Small (up to 500 Managed Systems) Large (500+ Managed Systems)
Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Not applicable SP3 Windows Server 2003 with SP2 Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2(Web Edition) Windows Vista Gold (Business and Enterprise Editions) Windows 7 Professional Windows Server 2003 with SP2 Windows Server 2003 R2 (Standard and Enterprise Editions) Windows Server 2008 (includes Standard, Enterprise, and Web editions)
NOTE: IT Assistant installation is not supported on Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 and on Windows Essential Business Server 2008.
IT Assistant installation is not supported on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2.
NOTE: IT Assistant can be installed on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Server Core but can only be launched remotely. NOTE: See your Microsoft operating system documentation when installing and configuring Terminal Services or Remote Desktop. NOTE: If you use the performance and power monitoring feature, see Table 7-3 for hardware and operating system requirements.
Selecting the Web Browser

See the Dell Systems Software Support Matrix on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals for the latest detailed list of the supported browsers for IT Assistant. NOTE: IT Assistant cannot be installed on Dell systems running Red Hat Enterprise Linux or SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating systems. These systems can, however, launch IT Assistant through supported browsers, such as Firefox.
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Selecting a Hardware Configuration

The hardware configuration you choose must meet or exceed the recommended configuration for IT Assistant. Depending on your specific IT Assistant deployment and your network environment, it may be advisable to exceed the recommended configurations for processor speed, amount of memory, and hard-drive space. For example, you may want to exceed or choose the upper end of the recommended configuration if you: Anticipate heavy managed systems alert traffic Have complex alert filters with configured alert actions Are performing frequent discovery, inventory, status polls, or performance monitoring Are running Microsoft SQL Server tuned to maximum performance Decide to check the Dell Support website at support.dell.com frequently for updates and select a large number of packages for auto-download
The recommended minimum hardware configuration for IT Assistant is shown in Table 4-2.
Table 4-2. Recommended Minimum Hardware Configuration for IT Assistant (by Enterprise Size) Component Processor Small (up to 50 Managed Systems) 1 processor (1.8 GHz minimum) 1 GB at least 1 GB Small (up to 500 Large (500+ Managed Systems) Managed Systems) 2-4 processors (800 MHz minimum) 2 GB 2 to 4 GB 4 or more processors (1.2 GHz minimum) 4 GB or more 4 to 8 GB
Memory Disk Space
NOTE: The amount of disk space needed may increase if you import numerous Dell Update Packages (DUPs) and MSI files for software update and deployment. NOTE: If you use the performance and power monitoring feature, see Table 7-3 for hardware and operating system requirements.
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Selecting the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 Default Database or SQL 2005 Server SP2
In general, the number of systems you expect to manage and the number of alerts you expect from your managed systems determine the database to use with IT Assistant. If you will be managing fewer than 500 systems, the SQL Server-compliant default database that ships with IT Assistant, SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2, is most likely a suitable data repository. However, if you are going to manage 500 systems or more and/or are receiving several alerts per second, you should use Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP2 or later as your database. You will also need to consider the impact of the performance monitoring feature on your database choice. For more information, see the "Performance and Power Monitoring" on page 131. In addition, if you are performing frequent discoveries or status polls, you may benefit by the increased performance offered by SQL Server 2005 SP2 over SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2. NOTE: You can configure IT Assistant version 6.3 and later to use Microsoft SQL Server running on a remote, dedicated server instead of configuring on the IT Assistant system. For more information, see "Remote Microsoft SQL Server and IT Assistant" on page 78. NOTE: IT Assistant version 8.0 and later are backward-compatible with the SQL Server-compliant default database that ships with IT Assistant 7.x.
E-Mail Notification Features

E-mail Alert Actions are useful in environments in which a system administrator does not want to use the IT Assistant user interface (UI) to visually monitor the status of managed systems. By coupling e-mail alert actions with alert action filters, an administrator may identify a person to be electronically notified when a specific system sends alerts to the IT Assistant network management station. This individual can then choose to take the appropriate corrective action for that system. By configuring alert filters with corresponding alert actions, constant monitoring of system status in the IT Assistant user interface becomes unnecessary because e-mail notification is set up to occur whenever the event criteria is met.
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Determining Systems Management Protocols

One of the most important decisions you will make in planning your IT Assistant installation is determining the protocols to use with IT Assistant. In general, your choice of protocols is determined by the systems you want to monitor and the respective agent protocols they support. If the systems you want to monitor have agents that use the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Common Information Model (CIM) or the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) protocols, these protocols must also be configured in IT Assistant.
Supported Protocols
IT Assistant supports three systems management protocols: SNMP, CIM, and IPMI. These protocols allow communication between the IT Assistant network management station and the managed systems on your network. For communication between IT Assistant and each managed system to occur successfully, agents (instrumentation) must be installed on each of the systems you want to manage. For systems management, it is strongly recommended that you enable and configure all protocols. NOTE: Dell OpenManage Server Administrator only sends events to IT Assistant as SNMP traps. It does not send CIM indications for either instrumentation or storage events from a server. NOTE: If the appropriate protocol is not configured correctly on the managed systems, IT Assistant will fail to classify the systems properly, which may limit the manageability for those systems. NOTE: The Dell|EMC storage arrays and Dell PowerVault Modular Disks use both SNMP and NaviCLI protocols.
SNMP
In order to successfully perform an IT Assistant installation, you must install and enable the operating system SNMP service.
CIM
CIM is used for managing both client and server systems. It can also be used for monitoring server instrumentation in a network that does not allow SNMP management.
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IPMI
Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) operates independently of the operating system and allows administrators to manage a system remotely even in the absence of the operating system or the systems management software, or even if the monitored system is not powered on. IPMI can also function when the operating system has started, and offers enhanced features when used with the systems management software. In order to successfully discover systems through IPMI, you must have a baseboard management controller (BMC) running IPMI version 1.5 or later on your systems. NOTE: The BMC does not monitor the storage subsystem on your network. To monitor these devices, you must install Server Administrator on your managed systems.
Factors That Affect Protocol Choice

Two factors affect protocol choice: The systems that you want to monitor Agents on the systems that you want to monitor
Systems That You Want to Monitor
Your network may consist of a combination of client and server systems, Dell|EMC storage arrays or Dell PowerVault Modular Disks, printers, and tape libraries. When planning for IT Assistant installation, you will be surveying these systems, as well as any systems you plan to add to your network, and determining which of these you want to monitor. During this assessment, you will be looking not only at the number of client and server systems, but also at any systems management agents and operating systems installed on these systems. The following section discusses the agents and corresponding protocols that you may need to configure in IT Assistant. Correctly configuring these protocols within IT Assistant is required to successfully manage your network.
Agents on the Systems That You Want to Monitor
The agents that you run on your managed systems may support a specific systems management protocol. If you want to retain the agents that are already installed on these systems, you must continue to manage them with their respective protocols. If the protocols used by certain agents are older, 56
you can choose, in most cases, to replace or upgrade these agents with those that support newer protocols. Table 4-3 lists a number of agents and instrumentation that may be installed on Dell clients and servers. As long as the corresponding protocol is enabled in IT Assistant, these systems can be discovered and managed on your network. Agent is a general term applied to the software components of systems management instrumentation. The following table provides the management and alerting agents supported by IT Assistant. Degrees of support vary among agents. For example, IT Assistant automatically discovers, displays, receives alerts from, and can perform actions on the systems managed by Dell OpenManage Server Administrator, but IT Assistant can only receive alerts from certain storage device agents. NOTE: IT Assistant no longer supports the Desktop Management Interface (DMI) protocol. As a result, systems running DMI using Dell OpenManage Server Agent 4.5.1 (and earlier) and Dell OpenManage Client Instrumentation 6.0 (and earlier) will not be discovered by IT Assistant.
Table 4-3. Agents Supported by IT Assistant Device Dell Systems Agents Server Administrator Baseboard Management Controller 4.5 and later 1.0 and later Yes Yes Yes Yes Version(s) Supported Auto Discoverable Alerting
NOTE: Supports only Dell x8xx and later systems

3.7 N/A 1.0 and later 1.0 and later 1.0 and later Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Array Manager Chassis Management Controller DRAC 5 DRAC 4 DRAC III, DRAC III/XT
NOTE: DRAC III is not supported on Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 5.x and Windows Server 2008.
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Table 4-3. Agents Supported by IT Assistant (continued) Device ERA, ERA/O iDRAC CMC Version(s) Supported 1.0 and later 1.0 and later 1.0 and later Auto Discoverable Alerting Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
NOTE: Supports the Dell xx0x modular

systems only DRAC/MC Supports only PowerEdge 1855 and 1955 systems Supports only PowerEdge 1655 N/A Yes Yes
ERA/MC PowerEdge 1655MC Integrated Switch Dell PowerVault Agents PowerVault NF500 PowerVault NXF600 PowerVault 701N PowerVault MD3000 PowerVault MD3000i PowerVault DL2000 PowerVault NX3000 PowerVault 705N PowerVault 735N PowerVault 750N PowerVault 755N PowerVault 715N PowerVault 725N PowerVault 770N PowerVault 775N
Yes Yes
Yes Yes
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
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Table 4-3. Agents Supported by IT Assistant (continued) Device PowerVault 745 Version(s) Supported N/A Auto Discoverable Alerting Yes No Yes Yes
PowerVault Adaptec CIO 4.02
Dell PowerConnect Agents and PowerConnect Firmware Versions Supported by IT Assistant PowerConnect 3024 PowerConnect 3048 PowerConnect 3248 PowerConnect 3324 PowerConnect 3348 PowerConnect 3424 PowerConnect 3424P PowerConnect 3448 PowerConnect 3524 PowerConnect 3524p PowerConnect 3548 PowerConnect 3548p PowerConnect 5012 PowerConnect 5212 PowerConnect 5224 PowerConnect 5316M PowerConnect 5324 PowerConnect 5424 PowerConnect 5448 PowerConnect 6024 PowerConnect 6024F PowerConnect 6224F 5.2.5.x, 6.0.4.x, 6.1.2.x 5.2.5.x, 6.0.4.x, 6.1.2.x 1.0.1.x, 2.0.0.x, 2.1.0.x 1.0.0.x, 1.1.0.x, 1.2.0.x 1.0.0.x, 1.1.0.x, 1.2.0.x 1.0.0.x 1.0.0.x 1.0.0.x 1.0.0.20 1.0.0.20 1.0.0.20 1.0.0.20 5.2.5.x, 6.0.4.x, 6.1.2.x 1.0.0.x, 3.1.0.x 1.0.1.x, 2.0.0.x, 2.1.0.x, 3.1.0.x 1.0.0.x 1.0.0.x 1.0.0.31 1.0.0.31 1.0.2.x, 2.0.0.x 1.0.2.x, 2.0.0.x 1.0 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
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Table 4-3. Agents Supported by IT Assistant (continued) Device PowerConnect 6248P PowerConnect 6224P PowerConnect M6220 Cisco WS-CBS3130G-S Cisco WS-CBS3130X-S Cisco Switch (only in Modular Chassis) Digital KVM Agents 2161 DS 4161 DS Network Adapter Agents Intel PRO Broadcom ASF Client Agents and Devices Dell OpenManage Client Instrumentation T5400 T7400 Dell|EMC CX300 CX500 CX700 AX100 AX100i CX3-10c N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 7.0 and later N/A N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes N/A N/A 1 No No No Yes Yes Yes N/A N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes Version(s) Supported 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 N/A Auto Discoverable Alerting Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Cisco WS-CBS3032-DEL 1.0
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Table 4-3. Agents Supported by IT Assistant (continued) Device CX3-20 CX3-20c CX3-20f CX3-40 CX3-40c CX3-40f CX3-80 AX150i AX150 AX4-5 Printers 5110cn 5210n 5310n 3110cn 3115cn 1700n W5300cn M5200cn 5310 5210 1710 5100cn 5100cn w HD 5100cn w MPC 5100cn w HD & MPC 3100cn N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Version(s) Supported N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Auto Discoverable Alerting Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
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Table 4-3. Agents Supported by IT Assistant (continued) Device 3000cn 1710n 1600n 1320c 3010cn Dell 1720/1720dn 1815n Tape Automation PowerVault 132T PowerVault 136T TL2000 TL4000 ML6000 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Version(s) Supported N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Auto Discoverable Alerting Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
NOTE: You can configure SNMP only through the panel on the device. NOTE: The default community string is publicCmtyStr.
The supported UPS devices comply with the UPS devices listed in the upsMIB.MIB and DELL_SNMP_UPS.MIB files. The MIB files are available on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD or on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.
NOTE: The supported PDU devices comply with the PDUs listed in the DellrPDU.MIB file.
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Summary of Pre-Installation Decisions

This section lists the major factors you must consider before installing and using IT Assistant to manage systems on your network. Table 4-4 summarizes questions raised in the previous sections, the option(s) and action(s) available, and the section of this guide where you can find the corresponding procedure for performing that action.
Table 4-4. Pre-Installation Questions, Options, and Actions Question Is there any reason to select a particular operating system among those that are supported when installing IT Assistant? Is there any reason to select a particular hardware configuration when installing IT Assistant? Option/Action Ensure that the operating system is supported for the components you are installing. Option/Action For a large network, install IT Assistant on a server operating system. Next Step See the latest IT Assistant readme.txt on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/ manuals.
Ensure that your hardware configuration meets or exceeds the recommended requirements for the components that will be installed on the system.
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Table 4-4. Pre-Installation Questions, Options, and Actions (continued) Question Should I use the default installed database (SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2) or should I install the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP2 database? Option/Action Generally, SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 is adequate if you are managing fewer than 500 systems. However, heavy event traffic or the usage of the performance monitoring subsystem may lead you to select SQL Server 2005 SP2. Survey the agents that you want to run on your managed systems and find out which protocols they support; consider the type of system you are managing. Option/Action Selection of the SQL database and heavy event traffic are examples of choices that require higher processor speed and/or extra processors, more memory, and greater hard-drive space to ensure IT Assistant performance. See "Installing, Uninstalling, and Upgrading Dell OpenManage IT Assistant" on page 67 and "Configuring Dell OpenManage IT Assistant to Monitor Your Systems" on page 85. Next Step
Which systems management protocol(s) should I plan to install or enable?
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Table 4-4. Pre-Installation Questions, Options, and Actions (continued) Question How should I organize my managed systems IP addresses if I am using more than one systems management protocol on a subnet? Option/Action Where possible, group systems using the same systems management protocol into contiguous subnets. This strategy increases manageability during the creation of IT Assistant discovery ranges. IT Assistant supports standard role-based access levels. The three levels supported are User, Power User, and Administrator. Using these access roles in your enterprise can provide an added level of security. See "Ensuring a Secure Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Installation" on page 207. Option/Action Next Step
Will I use role-based access to assign user levels in IT Assistant?
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Installing, Uninstalling, and Upgrading Dell OpenManage IT Assistant

Installation Requirements
When installing Dell OpenManage IT Assistant, it is important to see the latest readme.txt file on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals. This file defines the most current supported operating systems and hardware requirements for IT Assistant. In addition to meeting these requirements, there are additional IT Assistant installation requirements as well as requirements for the systems that will be managed by IT Assistant. See "Planning Your Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Installation" on page 49 for more information.
TCP/IP Protocol Support

For IT Assistant to function properly, your network must support the TCP/IP protocol.
Setting Up or Enabling Protocols for Agent Communication

Before installing IT Assistant, you must install the operating system's Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) service. Additionally, to ensure that systems are visible to IT Assistant discovery and inventory functions, make sure that agents and instrumentation on managed systems are accessible through the Common Information Model (CIM), Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), or Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) protocol. NOTE: CIM is installed by default on Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.
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Installing SNMP on the IT Assistant System

The SNMP service must be installed and running on the IT Assistant system. SNMP (or CIM) must also be installed on the systems that you want to discover and manage. NOTE: The following example uses Windows Server 2003 SP2 Enterprise Edition. To install SNMP Service on the management station, perform the following steps: 1 Click the Start button. Point to Settings Control Panel Add or Remove Programs Add/Remove Windows Components. 2 Select Management and Monitoring Tools Details Simple Network Management Protocol and click OK. 3 Click Next in the Windows Components Wizard window. The Windows Components Wizard will install SNMP. 4 Once the installation is complete, click Finish. 5 Close the Add or Remove Programs window. SNMP is now installed on your system. See "Selecting the Operating System" on page 51, for a list of operating systems on which IT Assistant can be installed.
Installing SNMP on Microsoft Windows Vista
1 Click the Start button and select Control Panel. 2 Double-click Program and Features. 3 Click Turn the Windows Feature On or Off on the left-hand tree. 4 Locate and select SNMP Services. 5 Click OK. SNMP is now installed on your system.
Installing SNMP on Microsoft Windows Server 2008
1 Click Start Control Panel. 2 Double-click Program and Features. 3 Click Turn the Windows Feature On or Off on the left-hand tree. The Server Manager page appears. 68
4 On the right-hand side, under Features Summary, click Add Features. The Select Features dialog-box appears. 5 Locate and select SNMP Services. 6 Click Install. SNMP is now installed on your system.
Starting SNMP Services
1 Click the Start button and select Control Panel. 2 Double-click Administrative Tools. 3 Double-click Services. 4 Locate SNMP Services, right-click, and select Start. SNMP Services are now started. For information on how to configure SNMP on managed systems running Windows operating systems, see "Configuring SNMP Service on a System Running Supported Windows Operating System" on page 253. For information on configuring SNMP on managed systems running Linux operating systems, see "Configuring SNMP Agent on Managed Systems Running Supported Linux Operating Systems" on page 257.
Enabling CIM
The CIM/WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) service is installed by default on Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2008. CIM discovery requires proper user ID and password credentials. Failure to supply proper credentials on a subnet configured for CIM discovery can result in account lockout. For examples on how to set up CIM, see "Configuring Protocols to Send Information to Dell OpenManage IT Assistant" on page 251.
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Setting Up RBAC User Information

IT Assistant supports role-based access control (RBAC) to define the specific operations each user can perform. However, the IT Assistant installation process does not require these user roles to be set up prior to installation. To set up RBAC users either before or after installing IT Assistant, see "Ensuring a Secure Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Installation" on page 207.
Prerequisite Checker
The Setup program runs the Prerequisite Checker, which examines the prerequisites for software features without launching the actual installation. The Prerequisite Checker displays a status window that provides information about your systems hardware and software that might affect the installation and operation of the software features. The Prerequisite Checker displays three types of messages: informational, warning, and error messages. An informational message describes a condition, but does not prevent a feature from being installed. A warning message describes a condition that prevents a software feature from being installed during Typical installation. It is recommended that you resolve the condition causing the warning before proceeding with the installation of the software. If you decide to continue, you can select and install the software using the Custom installation. An error message describes a condition that prevents the software feature from being installed. You must resolve the condition causing the error before proceeding with the installation of that software feature. If you do not resolve the issue, the software feature will not be installed.
In the command prompt, execute the command RunPreReqChecks.exe /s if you want to run the prerequisite check in silent mode.
Installing IT Assistant
If you are installing IT Assistant for the first time, follow the steps shown here. If you are upgrading from a previous version, see "Upgrading from Previous Version of IT Assistant" on page 73. 70
You can download and install IT Assistant from the Dell Support website at support.dell.com. The Dell OpenManage Management Station installer program is used to install IT Assistant as well as other Dell OpenManage software. To install a product other than IT Assistant, see the installation instructions specific to that product. You can also download Web packages of versions 6.0.1 of the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator and Dell OpenManage Management Station software from the Dell Support site at support.dell.com. You can transfer the contents of these Web packages to CDs or USB keys for systems that do not have DVD drives. To download IT Assistant, perform the following steps: 1 Connect to the Dell Support website at support.dell.com. 2 Click the Drivers and Downloads link. 3 In the Drivers and Downloads page, choose either the model or the service tag of your system and confirm your selection. 4 In the results page, under the Systems Management category, search for the Management Station application. 5 Click Download Now and save the file to a location on the management station. To install IT Assistant for the first time: 1 Navigate to the \SYSMGMT\ManagementStation\windows\ITAssistant directory on the IT Assistant installer folder and double-click setup.exe. The installer first runs the Prerequisites Checker to check if all prerequisites are installed. If a prerequisite is not already installed, you can install it by clicking the appropriate hyperlink in the installer window and then following the instructions in the setup screens. 2 If there are no missing dependencies, click Install, Modify, Repair or Remove Management Station. The Dell OpenManage Management Station install wizard is displayed. Click Next. 3 If you agree with the Dell Inc. software license agreement, click Next. 4 Select Custom installation from the Setup Type window and manually enable IT Assistant.
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You can change the installation directory path and port settings for IT Assistant or accept the defaults. 5 Click Next. 6 Ensure that IT Assistant is included in the installation summary window, then click Install to begin the installation.
Launching IT Assistant
After IT Assistant is installed, to launch IT Assistant, do one of the following: Double-click the IT Assistant icon on your desktop. Open a supported Web browser (see the Dell Systems Software Support Matrix on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals for the latest supported browsers) and connect to the IT Assistant management station by typing the following in the in the Address bar: https://<IT Assistant hostname>:<port number> NOTE: The default IT Assistant port number is 2607. NOTE: You can also access the browser-based user interface of IT Assistant
from a remote system using the above method.
If you access the IT Assistant UI from a system running supported Windows operating system that does not have a minimum supported Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 6 update 11, then IT Assistant automatically starts JRE installation on that system. NOTE: If the system that accesses the IT Assistant user interface has JRE
version 6.0, then IT Assistant does not automatically update the JRE to version 6 update 11. In this case, update the JRE version manually by pointing the browser to https://<host name>:<port number>/jre-6u11-windows-i586.exe.
However, if you are accessing IT Assistant from a system running supported Linux operating system, perform the following steps: 1 2 3 Save the JRE installer (jre-6u11-linux-i586-rpm.bin) in the location of your choice. Extract the RPM and install JRE. Create a soft link to this JRE in the plugins folder of the browser. For example, if you have installed the JRE in the default location, create the soft link by navigating to the plugins folder of your Web browser. 72
From this folder, run the following command: ln -s /usr/java/jre1.6.0_11/plugin/i386/ns7/libjavaplugin_oji.so. NOTE: To verify if the JRE plug-in was installed, type about:plugins in the 4 Close the Web browser and run IT Assistant again.
browser's address bar, click Go, and check the information that is displayed.
Upgrading from Previous Version of IT Assistant

The Dell OpenManage Management Station installer program detects whether you currently have an upgradable version of IT Assistant on your system. All the features appropriate for your system are pre-selected during an upgrade. Only IT Assistant versions 6.2 and later support upgrades from previous versions. IT Assistant does not support a direct upgrade from version 6.x to version 8.7. If you want to retain information in the IT Assistant database, first upgrade IT Assistant version 6.x to version 7.0 and then to IT Assistant version 8.7. When upgrading from IT Assistant version 6.x to version 7.2, qualify the CIM user names. This qualification is necessary because CIM is enabled/disabled only per discovery range and requires each CIM user to be qualified with a domain, or local host if no trusted domain is configured. It is critical to provide this qualification when configuring CIM through a discovery range (for example: <domain\username>, or <localhost\username>) to authenticate and use the CIM protocol. NOTE: Upgrade may require a reboot if the files to be upgraded are in use. This is a typical Windows installer behavior. It is recommended that you reboot the system when prompted. NOTE: While upgrading to IT Assistant version 8.7, if you also plan to upgrade the Microsoft SQL server, see "Selecting the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 Default Database or SQL 2005 Server SP2" on page 54 for the appropriate combination of the operating system and SQL Server.
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Upgrading IT Assistant version 7.x to IT Assistant version 8.7

1 Navigate to the \SYSMGMT\ManagementStation\windows\ITAssistant directory on the IT Assistant installer folder and double-click setup.exe. If the installation program starts automatically, the Dell OpenManage Install screen is displayed. Select Dell OpenManage Management Station and click Install to install IT Assistant. The installer automatically runs the prerequisite checker and scans your system for any missing dependencies, such as whether you have SNMP installed or have a supported database application. If a dependency is missing, an information window displays any relevant informational, warning, or error messages. Review the messages and, if necessary, resolve any problems before proceeding with the installation. You may also be prompted to install the required packages. CAUTION: If you are using IT Assistant version 6.x to 7.x, the IT Assistant 8.7 installer removes all previous Management Station applications and re-installs the applications you select. 2 Click Install, Modify, Repair or Remove Management Station option. The Welcome to the Install Wizard for Dell OpenManage Management Station wizard appears. Click Next. 3 If you agree with the Dell Inc. software license agreement, click Next. 4 Select Custom installation from the Setup Type window and manually enable IT Assistant. You can change the installation directory path and port settings for IT Assistant or accept the defaults. 5 Ensure that IT Assistant is selected in the list of installable components, then click Next. 6 If you are upgrading from IT Assistant 6.x to 7.0, by default, Migrate IT Assistant Database Settings is selected. When this option is selected, the following database settings in your existing IT Assistant installation are preserved in your new installation: Global configuration Event stored action Discovery configuration
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NOTE: Migrate IT Assistant Database Settings is not available if you are upgrading from IT Assistant version 7.x to version 8.7. 7 Click Next. 8 Ensure that IT Assistant is included in the installation summary window and click Install to begin the installation. NOTE: If you want to configure IT Assistant in a remote database environment, see "Remote Microsoft SQL Server and IT Assistant" on page 78 for details.
Upgrading IT Assistant version 8.x to IT Assistant version 8.7

1 Navigate to the \SYSMGMT\ManagementStation\windows\ITAssistant directory on the IT Assistant installer folder and double-click setup.exe. Select Dell OpenManage Management Station and click Install to upgrade IT Assistant. 2 The installer first runs the Prerequisites Checker to check if all prerequisites are installed. If a prerequisite is not already installed, you can install it by clicking the appropriate hyperlink in the installer window and then following the instructions in the setup screens. CAUTION: IT Assistant 8.7 installer removes all previous Management Station applications and re-installs the applications you select. 3 If there are no missing dependencies, click Install, Modify, Repair or Remove Management Station. The Welcome to the Install Wizard for Dell OpenManage Management Station wizard appears. Click Next. IT Assistant is upgraded to version 8.7.
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Upgrading IT Assistant version 8.6 to IT Assistant version 8.7

When you are doing this minor upgrade, if you double click the ITA.msi, an error message is displayed and the installer will close. To install IT Assistant do one of the following: Navigate to the \SYSMGMT\ManagementStation\windows\ITAssistant directory on the IT Assistant installer folder and double-click Setup.exe and then select Install, Modify, Repair, or Remove Management Station. In the Command Prompt, type Msiexec /i <PATH>\ITA.msi REINSTALL=ALL REINSTALLMODE=vomus.
Upgrading IT Assistant After Migrating to Windows Server 2003

If a system with IT Assistant installed is migrated to Windows Server 2003 and then upgraded to a recent version of IT Assistant, systems configured with the CIM protocol may no longer be discovered. This may occur due to encryption differences between Windows Server 2003 and earlier versions of Windows. To solve this, reset the password for the CIM user. In the IT Assistant user interface, go to Discovery and Monitoring, select Ranges and right-click Include Ranges. Click New Include Range to run the New Discovery Wizard, where you can specify the new CIM user name in the CIM Configuration window.
System Recovery on Failed Installation

If IT Assistant installation encounters a fatal error during setup, your system may become unstable. To address this problem, Dell IT Assistant installer provide the ability to roll back or return the system to its fully-working condition prior to the failed installation. The Windows Installer service provides Dell IT Assistant installer the ability to roll back by maintaining an undo operation for every operation that it performs during an installation, uninstallation, or any other configuration change. If some aspect of the installation fails during an installation session, the Windows Installer service can precisely return the system to its previous stable state. This feature includes restoration of deleted or overwritten files, registry keys, and other resources. Files that are deleted or overwritten during
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the course of an installation or removal are temporarily saved to a backup location, so they can be restored if necessary. After an installation finishes successfully, all temporary backup files are deleted. An installation cannot be rolled back once it has successfully completed. A transacted installation is intended as a safety net that protects the system during a given installation session. If you want to remove an installed application, for example, you should uninstall that application. When upgrading a previous version of Dell IT Assistant to the current version, an error during upgrade will rollback the system to its previous state. NOTE: Installations, uninstallations, and upgrades canceled by the administrator during installer cleanup or after the installation transaction is completed will not be rolled back.
Uninstalling IT Assistant
To uninstall IT Assistant: 1 Click the Start button, point to Settings, and double-click Control Panel. 2 Double-click Add or Remove Programs. 3 Select Dell OpenManage Management Station from the list of currently installed programs and click the Change button. NOTE: To uninstall the entire Management Station suite of products
(including IT Assistant), select Remove in the previous step. If you select Remove, the uninstallation may appear to be unresponsive for several minutes if IT Assistant is performing discovery or polling.
The Management Station install wizard appears. Click Next. 4 In the Program Maintenance window, select Modify and click Next. 5 In the Custom Setup screen, deselect IT Assistant and click Next. 6 In the summary screen, ensure that IT Assistant is included in the list of applications to be removed. Click Install. 7 When the uninstallation is complete, click Finish. 8 Reboot your system if prompted by the installer.
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Remote Microsoft SQL Server and IT Assistant

This section describes how to configure IT Assistant version 8.4 and later, to use Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP2 running on a remote server as the IT Assistant database.
Configuring IT Assistant to Use a Remote Database
IT Assistant ships with the SQL Server-compliant default databaseSQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2. The IT Assistant Network Monitoring Service and the IT Assistant Connection Service access the SQL Server-compliant default databaseSQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 that ships with IT Assistant. When the database resides outside the IT Assistant management station, as in the case of a remote database, it is necessary to make the IT Assistant Network Monitoring Service and the IT Assistant Connection Service on the management station to access the remote database. To do this, ensure that: The SQL Server service (MSSQLServer) is running through the service control panel on the management station as well as the remote database. You can start the SQL Server 2005 SP2 services either through the SQL Server Service Manager on the system tray or through the SQL Server Enterprise Managers SQL Server group. The SQL Server-compliant database versions on management station and the remote database are the same. SQL Server 2005 SP2 uses the same authentication that is used on the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 on the management station. The management station and the remote database use the same authentication with Administrator rights, are logged in with the same account, and that the SQL Server databases on both systems are configured to use this account. This is because IT Assistant services accesses SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 using the Windows NT Authentication.
In this example, let us assume that the user name is administrator on both servers with identical passwords and that both systems reside in the same NT domain.
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Deploying the IT Assistant Database to the Remote Database
On the management station, stop the IT Assistant Connection Service and the IT Assistant Network Monitoring Service from the Service Control Manager. This stops the IT Assistant services from accessing the local IT Assistant database. Ensure that no other program is accessing the local IT Assistant database. If a database program such as the SQL Servers Enterprise Manager and/or Query Analyzer is running, close the program or ensure that the program is not accessing local IT Assistant database. On the management station, detach the IT Assistant database from the local SQL Server by running the IT Assistant database management utility on the command line. Run the following command from the IT Assistant bin directory: dcdbmng /r When the IT Assistant database has been successfully detached, the Detach database dialog box is displayed. To ensure that the database is detached, perform the following steps: 1 Start the ODBC Data Source Administrator by clicking the Start button. Select SettingsControl Panel Administrative Tools Data Sources (ODBC). 2 Select the System DSN tab. Ensure that there no system data source with the name ITAssist (local IT Assistant database). If such a system data source exists, click Remove to delete this data source. On the management station, navigate to the Data folder under the SQL Server installation directory. By default, the installation path is C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL. Copy the IT Assistant database file, ITAssist_Data.mdf to a location on the remote database system. For this example, let us consider the desired path to be DB_PATH. On the remote database system, attach the database file, ITAssist_Data.mdf located in DB_PATH to the local SQL Server. You can do this by executing the following SQL statement against the local master database: exec sp_attach_single_file_db @dbname= 'ITAssist',@physname='DB_PATH\ITAssist_Data.mdf'
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NOTE: The first argument @dbname specifies the name of the database and should always be ITAssist. The second argument @physname specifies where the database file is located and you should always use the correct location of file, ITAssist_Data.mdf. If there are several instances of the SQL Server on the remote database system, then you can execute the above SQL statement and attach ITAssist to any one instance of your SQL Server. However, it is recommended that ITAssist be attached to the default instance of the local master database. This can be viewed in the SQL Server group of the SQL Enterprise Manager. All non-default instances of the SQL Server will have the instance name attached to it. For this example, consider MYINST1 and MYINST2 as the two non-default instances of the SQL Server. These SQL Server instances will be: REMOTE_DB_SERVER\MYINST1 and REMOTE_DB_SERVER\MYINST2. This can also be viewed in the SQL Server group of the SQL Enterprise Manager. If the remote database systems SQL Enterprise Manager does not have a complete list of all the SQL Server instances on the system, register these non-default instances so that they are displayed in the SQL Server group.
Connecting IT Assistant to the Remote Database
1 On the management station, navigate to the IT Assistant installation directory and edit the configuration file, dconfig.ini, by replacing each (local) string with the name of the SQL Server that resides on the remote database system. You can find the string under the sections [ITAssist_Odbc_Attributes] and [Master_Odbc_Attributes]. 2 If the IT Assistant database resides in the default instance of the SQL Server, IT Assistant database will be <name of the database server>. If the IT Assistant database resides in a non-default instance of the SQL Server, for example MYINST1, then the IT Assistant database will be <name of the database server>\MYINST1. In other words, Attribute3=Server, <name/IP address of the database server> -- in case of default instance Attribute3=Server, <name of the database server>\MYINST1 -- in case of named instance
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3 On the management station, change the IT Assistant services logon credentials from Local System account to the common account used to log into the local SQL Server on both management station and the remote database system. Let us assume that in this case, it is the local Administrator account. 4 You should change the logon credentials for the IT Assistant Connection Service and IT Assistant Network Monitoring Service. To do this, right-click the individual services from the Service Control Manager and select Properties. Select the Log On tab to change the logon credentials. If you are configuring these services to run under a different user account, the user account used for Logon must have the following user privileges: Act as part of the operating system (this privilege is required on the Windows 2000 system) Replace a process level token Log on as a service
To set these privileges, perform the following steps:

a b c d e
Run secpol.msc in the Command Prompt dialog box. Select Security Settings Local Policies User Rights Assignments. Right-click the policy and select Properties (or Security, in case of Windows 2000). Add the user name to this policy. Restart the system to apply the settings.
5 This step is optional and is required only if you plan to stop the SQL Server service from running on the management station. During IT Assistant installation, IT Assistant services are created to depend on the SNMP service and the SQL Servers MSSQLServer service. You can remove the dependency of the IT Assistant services on SQL Servers MSSQLServer service by editing the registry for the IT Assistant services on the management station. CAUTION: Before editing the registry, ensure that you save a copy of the registry and understand how to restore it if a problem occurs.
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On the management station, open the Microsoft Windows Registry Editor by typing regedit on the command prompt. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\dcn etmon. Double-click the DependOnService value name to edit its properties. This registry value is a UNICODE multiple string and its initial Value Data is SNMP MSSQLServer. Delete MSSQLServer and save the changes. This removes the dependency of the IT Assistant Network Monitoring Service on the SQL Server service. Next, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\dcc onnsvc. Double-click the DependOnService value name to edit its properties. This registry value is a UNICODE multiple string and its initial Value Data is SNMP, MSSQLServer, dcnetmon. Delete MSSQLServer and save the changes. This removes the dependency of the IT Assistant Connection Service on the SQL Server service. Check the dependencies of the IT Assistant Network Monitoring Service and the IT Assistant Connection Service on management station by right-clicking the individual services from the Service Control Manager and select Properties. Select the Dependencies tab. There should be no dependency on MSSQLServer Service. Restart the management station to let these changes take effect. 6 On the management station, start the IT Assistant Connection Service and IT Assistant Network Monitoring Service. IT Assistant now connects to the IT Assistant database deployed on the SQL Server of the remote database system. NOTE: If the IT Assistant services dependency on the local SQL Server service
has not been removed as described in previous step, the SQL Server service on management station needs to be running for IT Assistant services to be started, even if the SQL Server database is not actually used by IT Assistant.
7 To verify that the management station has successfully connected to the IT Assistant database on the remote database system, start the ODBC Data Source Administrator from the Control Panel Administrative Tools on the management station. Select the System DSN tab. The ITAssist system data source is displayed. 82
8 On the management station, open the IT Assistant user interface. The IT Assistant services on management station are now ready to use the IT Assistant database residing on the remote database system.
Configuring IT Assistant to Upgrade the Remote Database

IT Assistant does not upgrade the database which is configured on a remote system. This section discusses the steps required to upgrade the IT Assistant (version 7.0 and later) database.
Deploying IT Assistant Database to ITA_STATION
1 On the ITA_STATION, stop IT Assistant Connection Service and IT Assistant Network Monitoring Service from the Service Control Manager. This stops IT Assistant services from accessing the remote IT Assistant database. Also, make sure that no other program is accessing the IT Assistant database, ITAssist, of REMOTE_DB_SERVER. If a database program such as SQL Servers Enterprise Manager and/or Query Analyzer is running, close the program or ensure that the program is not accessing the IT Assistant database named ITAssist. 2 On the REMOTE_DB_SERVER, detach the IT Assistant database from the local SQL Server by executing the following SQL statement against local master database: exec sp_detach_db @dbname=ITAssist 3 To ensure that the database is detached, go to ITA_STATION system, start ODBC Data Source Administrator from Start Settings Control Panel Administrative Tools Data Sources (ODBC). Click the System DSN tab. Ensure that there is no system data source with the name ITAssist. If there is, remove that data source by clicking on the Remove tab. 4 On the REMOTE_DB_SERVER, navigate to the Data folder under MSDE or SQL Server installed location. By default this is C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL. Copy the IT Assistant database file, ITAssist_Data.mdf to the desired path on the ITA_STATION. For this example, let us consider the desired path to be DB_PATH. 5 On ITA_STATION, attach the database file, ITAssist_Data.mdf located in DB_PATH to the local SQL Server. This can be done by executing the following SQL statement against the local master database:
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exec sp_attach_single_file_db @dbname=ITAssist, @physname=DB_PATH\ITAssist_Data.mdf NOTE: Ensure that there are no ITAssist_Data and ITAssist_Log files on the
ITA_STATION system.
First argument @dbname specifies the name of the database and must be kept as ITAssist. Second argument @physname specifies where the database file is located. You should customize it to reflect the correct location of ITAssist_Data.mdf. Ensure that there is no ITAssist_log.ldf file in the same path. If a file of the same name exists, delete it before executing this command.
Connecting IT Assistant to Database on ITA_STATION
1 On the ITA_STATION, navigate to the configuration directory where IT Assistant is installed. Edit the configuration file, dconfig.ini, by replacing each REMOTE_DB_SERVER (name of the database) string under the sections [ITAssist_Odbc_Attributes] and [Master_Odbc_Attributes] with (local). 2 On the ITA_STATION, change the IT Assistant services logon credentials from Common account to Local System account. This operation should be done for both the IT Assistant Connection Service and IT Assistant Network Monitoring Service. To perform these actions, right-click each service from the Service Control Manager and select Properties. Now select the Log On tab to change the logon credentials. Save the changes and start the IT Assistant services. 3 Launch IT Assistant.
Upgrading IT Assistant
See "Upgrading from Previous Version of IT Assistant" on page 73, for detailed instructions on upgrading IT Assistant. After the upgrade is completed, launch IT Assistant.
Deploying IT Assistant Database to REMOTE_DB_SERVER
See "Deploying the IT Assistant Database to the Remote Database" on page 79 to move IT Assistant database to the remote system.
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Configuring Dell OpenManage IT Assistant to Monitor Your Systems
Dell OpenManage IT Assistant can discover, inventory, and perform a variety of other tasks such as power and performance monitoring. for each system in your enterprise. Managed systems can include a mixture of client systems (desktops, portable components, and workstations), servers, printers, tape devices, storage devices, systems with remote access cards, Dell PowerConnect switches, and digital keyboard/video/mouse (KVMs) switches used with rack-dense systems.
IT Assistant in Real-World User Scenarios

This section illustrates how IT Assistant can be used in two different customer scenarios: A small-to-medium size business (see "Discovery in Janes Small-to-Medium Size Business" on page 97.) A large enterprise environment (see "Discovery in Toms Enterprise-Size Business" on page 110.)
Although fictional, both scenarios presented in this section illustrate how administrators in charge of managing network environments might configure IT Assistant. While many configuration concepts are the same for both scenarios, others depend on the type and number of systems being managed. Use the scenario that best suits your situation as a general guide for configuring IT Assistant. Regardless of the size of your network, it is useful to read through both scenarios to gain a more complete understanding of IT Assistant procedures and concepts. NOTE: Neither scenario shown in this section is intended to illustrate the full capabilities of IT Assistant. Based on your enterprise, you may choose to use options and features in IT Assistant not shown here. For more information on IT Assistants full range of capabilities, see the IT Assistant Online Help.
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Running Applications That Require Different Versions of the JRE On Your System
The IT Assistant user interface (UI) uses the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 6 update 11. If IT Assistant detects an older version of JRE on your system, it installs version 6 update 11 to run correctly. If you encounter problems running other third-party applications that were using the older version of the JRE, perform these steps to uninstall JRE version 6 update 11: On supported Microsoft Windows operating systems: 1 Click Start Settings Control Panel Add Remove Programs. 2 Select Java SE Runtime Environment 6 Update 11 and click Remove. NOTE: IT Assistant will install the required JRE version when you launch IT Assistant the next time. On supported Linux operating systems: 1 Navigate to the plugins folder of your Web browser. 2 Remove the link to the JRE install by typing: rm libjavaplugin_oji.so NOTE: To run IT Assistant again, re-create the link to the JRE. See "Getting Started With Dell OpenManage IT Assistant" on page 33 for information on creating a soft link.
Ensure That Agents and Instrumentation Are Installed and Running

Dell agents required for managed systems are contained in Dell OpenManage Server Administrator; Dell agents required for client systems (workstations, desktops, and portable components) are contained in Dell OpenManage Client Instrumentation. These agents gather status information from BIOS or other firmware on the systems they are installed on, then provide that information to IT Assistant. Systems that are monitored by IT Assistant are generally referred to as managed systemsthe system that manages them is referred to as management station, or IT Assistant system.
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If either of these agents is not installed, see the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator and Dell OpenManage Client Instrumentation documentation before continuing with IT Assistant configuration. If the appropriate agent is installed and running correctly, start IT Assistant and read on. NOTE: Starting with IT Assistant version 8.0, you can discover devices using the IPMI Discovery support feature. See "Configuring IPMI for System Manageability" on page 92 for more information.
Start IT Assistant
NOTE: IT Assistant supports role-based access control (RBAC) to define the specific operations each user can perform. To set up RBAC users, see "Ensuring a Secure Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Installation" on page 207. To log on to IT Assistant: 1 Double-click the IT Assistant icon on your systems desktop. The Log in dialog box appears. (If Single Sign-On is configured as described in "Ensuring a Secure Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Installation" on page 207, the Log in dialog box does not appear.) 2 Enter a user name and password. 3 Select Active Directory Login if you have configured user information using the Microsoft Active Directory plug-in. The privileges you have in IT Assistant are dependent on the user settings defined. NOTE: For more information on setting up role-based access, see "Ensuring a
Secure Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Installation" on page 207. For information on installing the Active Directory plug-in and extending the Active Directory schema for IT Assistant, see the Dell OpenManage Management Station Software Installation Guide. https://<hostname>:<portnumber>. The default port number is 2607.
NOTE: To access IT Assistant remotely, you must enter
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4 Enter your password. As IT Assistant starts up, an authentication certificate pop-up box will appear. You must click OK within 5 minutes to accept these certificates or IT Assistant will not load properly and certain critical features will not function. You may see several pop-ups during IT Assistant startup. Pop-ups prompting you to accept an authorization certificate can be avoided by selecting View CertificateInstall Certificate (if available) or choosing Always in response to the request to accept the certificate. NOTE: If the system from where you are accessing the IT Assistant UI from
a Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008, you may get several warning dialogs prompting you to allow regedit to be used. This is caused by IT Assistant modules trying to find the applications that are installed on that system. Click OK to allow regedit to run. IT Assistant does not make changes to the registry; it only reads the registry. more information on X.509 Certificate management.
NOTE: See the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Installation Guide for
Configuring SNMP for System Manageability

Before configuring SNMP for system manageability, let us look at the two scenarios we will use to illustrate IT Assistant in this section: Two systems administratorslet us call them Jane and Tomare responsible for managing two separate network environments. Jane represents the small-to-medium size business (50 servers, plus over 200 client systems, and 10 switches), while Tom represents a much larger enterprise (1,000 servers, plus printers, tapes, and virtual machines). Although Jane and Tom both use IT Assistant to discover and manage their systems, the way they configure and use IT Assistant will differ significantly. However, before highlighting the differences, let us look at some basic steps both must perform.
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Both Jane and Tom must configure the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) systems management protocol to discover their systems and to receive traps (asynchronous, alert notifications) that report the status of their components. On managed systems, the Server Administrator agent generates SNMP traps in response to changes in the status of sensors and other monitored parameters on a managed system. In order to correctly send these traps, the operating systems SNMP service must be configured with one or more trap destinations that correspond to the system where IT Assistant is installed.
Details on Configuring the SNMP Service

For detailed information about SNMP configuration for the IT Assistant system and for all supported managed system, operating systems, see "Configuring the SNMP Service" on page 252.
Configuring SNMP on Systems You Want to Manage

In addition to having the SNMP service installed and running on the IT Assistant system, each managed systems operating system must have the SNMP service or daemon configured.
SNMP Best Practices
When configuring SNMP adhere to the following requirements: , Use a host name or a static IP address for the IT Assistant system. On all managed systems, configure the static IP address or host name as the SNMP trap destination. If you use a host name as the SNMP trap destination (the IT Assistant system name), you must correctly configure name resolution on your network. Ensure that Get and Set community names for SNMP are different. When assigning community names to managed systems, keep the total number of different community names low. The fewer community names, the easier it will be to manage your network.
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Information on the Managed System Needed for Optimal SNMP Configuration
For every system (running the Windows operating system) to be discovered and managed using SNMP protocol, ensure that SNMP is installed and properly configured. The two community names that are to be set up are the Get (or read) community name and the Set (or write) community name. The read community name, which is sometimes labeled read only, allows IT Assistant to read information from the managed system, while the write community name, sometimes labeled read write, allows IT Assistant to read and write information to the managed system. NOTE: Community names are case sensitive. NOTE: Although you can set up just one community name as both read and read/write, it is advisable to create a separate name for each to allow restricted access to the write action. The community names that you assign for SNMP for managed systems in the operating system must also be recorded in IT Assistant when you set up SNMP discovery ranges. In the Discovery Range dialog box under the protocols section, make sure that the Get (or read) and Set (or write) community names of all of the managed systems are entered. If there is more than one community name per field, separate each community name with a comma. For more information, see "Configuring the SNMP Service" on page 252.
Configuring CIM for Manageability

Depending on your network environment, configuring CIM may be a required task. CIM is the preferred systems management protocol for newer client instrumentation and is required for Dell systems instrumented with OMCI version 7.x. CIM is also used for performing remote Windows software updates.
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In her small-to-medium size network, Jane must install, enable, and configure CIM to be able to manage client systems running the latest Client Instrumentation (OMCI 7.x). Although Toms group of managed systems are made up entirely of servers, he will also install and enable CIM. Generally, CIM should be enabled if your enterprise includes any managed system running a Microsoft Windows operating system. NOTE: Dell OpenManage Server Administrator only sends events to IT Assistant as SNMP traps. It does not send CIM indications for either instrumentation or storage events from a server.
Configuring CIM in the Operating System

IT Assistant uses the Windows Management Interface (WMI) core to make CIM connections. The WMI core uses Microsoft network security to protect CIM instrumentation from unauthorized access. For more information on operating system CIM configuration, see "Setting Up CIM" on page 265. NOTE: IT Assistant requires the CIM user name and password with administrator rights that you established on the managed systems. If you are using a domain user, be sure to specify the correct domain in the user name field. A user name must always be qualified with a domain, or localhost if a domain is not present. The format is either <domain>\<user> or <localhost>\<user>. NOTE: CIM discovery requires proper user ID and password credentials. Failure to supply proper credentials on a subnet configured for CIM discovery can result in account lockout.
Best Practices for Setting Up Discovery Targets

Regardless of the size of your network, the following table shows Dells recommendations for the best way to set up discovery targets. IT Assistant users define discovery target systems and ranges on a network to identify the systems that they want to locate and record in their database. When you set up a discovery target and range in IT Assistant, you are given the option of selecting a host name, an IP address, or a subnet range to identify the systems that you want IT Assistant to discover. This section shows which discovery type is best for the network environment you have.
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Table 6-1. Best Practice Recommendations for Setting Up Discovery Preferred Discovery DHCP Range Type Host name Recommended Primarily Static IP Addresses Recommended if DNS is present and IP addresses are spread among many different network segments Recommended if IP addresses are spread among many different network segments
IP address
Not recommended
IP range
Recommended if located on Recommended if located on one one or a few network segments or a few network segments
Configuring IPMI for System Manageability

To be able to use the Intelligent Interface Management Protocol (IPMI) discovery feature, ensure that you have: Dell PowerEdge x8xx systems and above with IPMI version 1.5 and later. This feature will not work for older systems. The iDRAC on xx0x modular systems and xx1x systems supports IPMI. All systems equipped with a baseboard management controller (BMC). Configured the BMC/iDRAC of every managed system. NOTE: For more information on configuring the BMC, see the "Configuring Your Managed System" section in the Dell OpenManage Baseboard Management Controller Utilities Users Guide and for iDRAC see the "Configuring iDRAC" section in the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller Users Guide on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals. NOTE: For more information on configuring SNMP, see "Configuring the SNMP Service" on page 252.
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Using the Microsoft IPMI Provider

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 is equipped with an IPMI driver and an IPMI Common Information Model (CIM) Provider. The CIM Provider exposes system information that is exposed by the BMC/iDRAC through the IPMI interface. IT Assistant uses this feature to extract information. You can use IT Assistant to discover and classify the BMC/iDRAC through IPMI. However, ensure that you have the following to be able to use the Microsoft IPMI Provider to send information about your systems: Windows Server 2003 R2 or Windows Server 2008 operating system on the managed systems All managed systems have BMC/iDRAC with IPMI version 1.5 or later. CIM is configured on the managed systems For more information, see step 6 of "Configuring Discovery Configuration Settings" on page 114. IPMI drivers are loaded Hardware Management MSI
For more information, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help.
Best Practices for Using the IPMI Discovery Feature

IPMI discovery provides you with information about a system even if the system is powered down. IPMI uses the Remote Management Control Packets (RMCP) protocol to communicate with the BMC/iDRAC of the managed systems. NOTE: RMCP is a UDP-based protocol, which communicates over port 623. The IPMI messages are encapsulated in the RMCP packets. RMCP protocol enables remote server control in all states where the system is powered on. Configure the BMC/iDRAC on managed systems that will be discovered using the IPMI Discovery support feature. Connect the BMC/iDRAC network interface card (NIC) to the network. If your systems have a Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC) 5, then the RAC should be connected to the network.
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NOTE: For Dell x8xx systems, you should setup the DRAC 4 and the BMC if you want to use the functionality of both. However, for Dell x9xx and later systems,
DRAC 5 takes over the full functionality of the BMC. Therefore, you need to setup only the DRAC 5. For Dell xx0x modular systems, you should setup iDRAC.
In the discovery ranges, provide the SNMP/CIM IP address and credentials (user name and password) for the device as well as the BMC/iDRAC IP address and credentials.
Connectivity using IPMI is inherently slow due to the RMCP protocol. It is, therefore, recommended that you create a separate discovery range for devices that do not have a Dell agent installed on them. For this discovery range alone you can enable the IPMI discovery feature. NOTE: Systems discovered only through the IPMI protocol are identified on the IT Assistant UI through the BMC/iDRAC IP address. For this reason, tasks such as software deployment and performance and power monitoring cannot be run on such systems.
Configuring IT Assistant to Discover Storage Devices

Starting with IT Assistant version 8.0, you can discover and monitor Dell|EMC storage devices or Dell PowerVault Modular Disks. You can display the status of the discovered Dell|EMC storage arrays or Modular Disks in the Dell/EMC Arrays category under Storage Devices group. The status of Dell|EMC storage arrays and Modular Disks will be red for failed/critical and green for normal. The Dell|EMC storage arrays and Modular Disks recognize all SNMP traps from the device including logging, filtering, and actions information. NOTE: Use IT Assistant's Event Management System to associate actions, such as e-mailing an administrator or creating a trouble ticket in a help-desk system through an Application Launch, with the critical event sources associated with the arrays. For more information, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help.
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Prerequisites for Dell|EMC

You should have the following software configured to enable the Storage Integration feature: EMC Navisphere Secure CLI on the same system that is running IT Assistant SNMP enabled on your Dell|EMC array FLARE operating environment version 19 or later on your Dell|EMC array
Navisphere Secure CLI

IT Assistant uses Navisphere Secure CLI for getting inventory information from the storage devices. The IT Assistant installer detects if the Navisphere Secure CLI is not installed on the management station and gives you the option of installing it. NOTE: EMC releases new versions of Navisphere Secure CLI periodically, and you may need to update the version of the CLI on the IT Assistant management station. NOTE: As new versions of IT Assistant are released, the Navisphere Secure CLI version will be updated. If your storage environment has storage arrays, you can navigate to the element manager to manage the Dell|EMC device. See the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help for connecting to the remote array for troubleshooting Navisphere agent issues. See the EMC Navisphere online help for details on monitoring SNMP alerts.
Setup and Configuration

IT Assistant supports discovery on Dell|EMC storage arrays (for example, AX100 or AX150) arrays that have been upgraded to Navisphere Manager. NOTE: IT Assistant does not manage arrays running Navisphere Express. NOTE: If you are discovering an AX100i storage array, see the IT Assistant
readme for the latest information.
IT Assistant uses SNMP for discovering the Dell|EMC arrays. Use the Navisphere Manager to enable SNMP on your Dell|EMC array, before it can be discovered in IT Assistant. Set SNMP in Navisphere under the Network settings of the Storage Processor properties.
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NOTE: The storage processors on the Dell|EMC CX3-20, CX3-40, CX3-80

products each have one management port and one service local area network (LAN) port. Do not connect the service ports to the network for general use. Connecting these ports to the network may result in unpredictable status and event reporting within IT Assistant.
Ensure that the following ports are open on the firewall: TCP 80/443 (Web and SSL) TCP 6389 (Navisphere CLI) UDP 161/162 (SNMP and bi-directional) NOTE: These are default ports. If you have changed the port configuration,
ensure that the correct ports are open. UDP/TCP Default Ports" on page 215.
NOTE: For more information on ports used by IT Assistant, see "IT Assistant IT Assistant discovers and displays the information for the storage processor value stored in the discovery range. Since the storage processors are redundant, you only need to enter the IP address of one storage processor for discovery and inventory purposes.
Using the Troubleshooting Tool

The EMC connectivity test can be used to test the communication between the IT Assistant management station and the Navisphere agent on the storage device. The test requires the IP address of the storage processor and Navisphere credentials. NOTE: The Navisphere credentials should have a global scope.
Creating Reports
You can create custom reports for the Dell|EMC arrays. The report wizard of the IT Assistant allows you to select fields from a variety of tables including Device, NIC, Physical disk, Virtual disk, Enclosure, and Controller. The reports can be created in HTML, XML, and comma-separated value (CSV) format. NOTE: IT Assistant has pre-defined controller and enclosure reports for the Dell|EMC arrays.
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Discovery in Janes Small-to-Medium Size Business

Jane wants to discover all of the systems on her network. Discovery is a process whereby IT Assistant identifies each system and records identifying information for that system in the IT Assistant database. As we mentioned previously, Jane is the sole system administrator of a mixed network of systems that includes: 50 Dell PowerEdge systems 200 Dell OptiPlex desktops 10 Dell PowerConnect switches
Jane is going to use IT Assistant to monitor global status for her systems, as well as to receive notification when a Dell system or a PowerConnect switch on her network is in the warning or critical state. Jane does not plan to use IT Assistant to notify her when one of her desktop systems generates an alert.
Decisions to be Made Prior to Configuring IT Assistant Discovery

Before using IT Assistant to configure discovery, Jane needs to make some basic decisions about her network. Specifically, she must decide the: Systems management protocols needed to manage the systems and devices on her network Community names and trap destinations for systems to be managed by SNMP SNMP requirements for PowerConnect switches CIM authentication credentials Host names, IP addresses, or IP subnet ranges of systems she wants to monitor
Systems Management Protocols Needed for Janes Network

In planning to configure discovery, Jane has a mixture of system types (server, client, and switches). The systems management protocols that Jane requires to manage these networked systems and devices are: SNMP for her Dell systems and PowerConnect switches
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CIM for her systems running Windows, assuming that Jane has newer, CIM-compatible client instrumentation installed on her client systems
For a review of protocol requirements, see "Configuring Protocols to Send Information to Dell OpenManage IT Assistant" on page 251.
Community Names and Trap Destinations
Janes requirements for configuring Get and Set community names and trap destinations for SNMP on her managed systems are not affected by the size of her business. For SNMP configuration requirements associated with servers, see "Configuring the SNMP Service" on page 252.
Configuring SNMP for PowerConnect Switches
Jane can monitor her ten PowerConnect switches by using IT Assistant. Each model of PowerConnect switch has documentation that provides the following information on setting up the SNMP service for that switch: Community names Trap destinations The hosts from which the switch will accept SNMP packets
Initial Tasks for Finding Systems on Janes Network

Now that Jane has reviewed the prerequisite information for her discovery configuration, she is ready to perform first-time discovery configuration. Jane must perform the following tasks: Configure communication protocols on the managed systems. Configure discovery settings. Enter all of the discovery ranges.
Using IT Assistant to Find and Manage Janes Networked Systems

If this is the first time IT Assistant has been launched since installation, Jane is presented with a welcome screen indicating that IT Assistant has not yet been configured. The four basic steps of configuration are listed: Step 1Discovery Configuration controls how often IT Assistant polls the network for the addition of new systems
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Step 2Inventory Configuration controls how often IT Assistant retrieves a detailed inventory of all discovered systems Step 3Status Polling controls how often IT Assistant retrieves the health and network connectivity status of discovered systems Step 4Ranges identifies specific ranges for IT Assistant to either limit or expand its discovery, inventory, or polling tasks Clicking any of the steps will take her to the corresponding dialog box under the Discovery and Monitoring menu bar in IT Assistant. Steps 1 through 3 are single-window dialog boxes; step 4 is a wizard-based procedure for defining discovery ranges.
Configuring Discovery Settings

Jane begins by configuring the discovery settings for her systems using the Discovery Configuration Settings dialog box. This dialog is displayed either automatically when she clicks Step 1: Discovery Configuration from the IT Assistant or by choosing Discovery Configuration from the menu bar. Here, Jane enters information that IT Assistant will use for discovery. These values remain unchanged and apply to the corresponding discovery ranges that she will create later in this procedure. However, she can change these values at any time. To configure discovery settings in IT Assistant, Jane performs the following steps: 1 Jane selects Discovery and MonitoringDiscovery Configuration from the IT Assistant menu bar. The Discovery Configuration Settings dialog box appears. Enable Device Discovery is selected by default. 2 In the dialog box under Initiate Device Discovery, Jane selects the period she wants IT Assistant to perform discovery. Jane selects all seven days of the week at 6:00:00 AM because the data maybe dynamic, but she wants to select a non-peak period. NOTE: It is recommended that you schedule discovery at non-peak times. 3 Under Discovery Speed, Jane uses the sliding bar to indicate how much network bandwidth and system resources she wants to allocate to discovery.
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NOTE: The faster you set the discovery speed, the more network resources
discovery will consume. Faster discovery speeds may impact network performance.
4 Under Discover, Jane can choose whether to discover All Devices or Only Instrumented Devices. She chooses Only Instrumented Devices since she wants IT Assistant to discover only devices that have SNMP or CIM instrumentation. If she wanted to discover any device that responded to a ping command, she would have chosen All Devices. For a list of supported agents, see "Agents Supported by IT Assistant" on page 57. NOTE: It is recommended that if you have Domain Name System (DNS)
configured on your network, select the default, DNS Name Resolution.
5 Under Name Resolution, Jane selects DNS Name Resolution or Instrumentation Name Resolution. DNS name resolution matches the IP address of a system to a host name. Instrumentation name resolution queries the managed systems agent instrumentation for its name. See your device or system documentation for more information on how to configure instrumentation name resolution. NOTE: It is recommended that if you have DNS configured on your network,
select the default, DNS Name Resolution.
6 Jane clicks OK.
Configuring Inventory Settings

Next, Jane needs to enter inventory settings. IT Assistant collects inventory information about software and firmware versions, as well as device-related information about memory, processor, power supply, PCI cards and embedded devices, and storage. This information is stored in the IT Assistant database and can be used to generate customized reports. To set inventory settings, Jane performs the following steps: 1 Jane selects Discovery and MonitoringInventory Configuration from the menu bar. The Inventory Poll Settings dialog box is displayed. Enable Inventory is selected by default. 2 Under Initiate Inventory, Jane selects when she wants IT Assistant to perform inventory.
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Jane selects all seven days of the week at 6:00:00 AM, a non-peak period for network traffic. 3 Under Inventory Speed, Jane uses the sliding bar to indicate how much network bandwidth and system resources she wants to allocate to inventory. NOTE: The faster you set the inventory speed, the more network resources
discovery will consume. Faster inventory speeds may impact network performance.
4 Jane clicks OK. NOTE: IT Assistant versions 8.0 and later can display the inventory information for printers, tapes, and storage devices. For more information, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help.
Configuring Status Polling Settings

Next, Jane defines status polling settings for her systems. IT Assistant performs a power and connectivity health check for discovered devices, determining whether a device is operating normally, is in a non-normal state, or is powered down. Status messages in IT Assistant include healthy, warning, critical, and powered down. Status icons also indicate if a system is not instrumented, there is no information for the system, or the state the system was in before it was last powered down. To set status polling settings, Jane performs the following steps: 1 Jane selects Discovery and MonitoringStatus Polling Configuration from the menu bar. The Status Polling Configuration Settings dialog box is displayed. Enable Status Polling is selected by default. 2 Under Status Polling Interval, Jane selects the interval that she wants IT Assistant to use to perform status polling. 3 Under Status Polling Speed, Jane uses the sliding bar to indicate how much network bandwidth and system resources she wants to allocate to status polling. NOTE: The faster you set the status polling speed, the more network
resources discovery will consume. Faster speeds may impact network performance.
4 Jane clicks OK.
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Configuring Discovery Ranges

IT Assistant maintains a register of network segments that it uses to discover devices. A discovery range can be a subnet, a range of IP addresses on a subnet, an individual IP address, or an individual host name. To identify her systems to IT Assistant, Jane must define a discovery range. To define an include range, Jane performs the following steps: 1 Jane selects Discovery and MonitoringRanges from the menu bar. The Discovery Ranges navigation tree is displayed on the left side of the IT Assistant window. 2 Jane expands Discovery Ranges, right-clicks Include Ranges and selects New Include Range. The New Discovery Wizard starts. NOTE: To exclude a specific system or host name from discovery, right-click
Exclude Range in the Discovery Ranges navigation tree and enter the name or IP address of the system. In most small-to-medium businesses like Janes, this option is not used.
3 In step 1 of the wizard, Jane enters an IP address (or range) or host name. She clicks Add to add multiple ranges of IP addresses or host names. She clicks Next to go to the next step. NOTE: Acceptable values for the include range are subnet range, host name,
or IP address of a single system. Jane refers to the IP subnet ranges she wrote down for her servers, desktop systems, and switches. On Janes list, Jane may have 192.166.153.* and 192.166.154.*, where the first subnet range is for Janes servers, the second subnet range is for Janes desktops, and the switches are spread out on both subnets. names, IP addresses, and subnet ranges for IT Assistant to discover. See the IT Assistant Online Help for instructions on how to run the utility from the command line. The importnodelist.exe file is in the bin directory of the IT Assistant base directory.
NOTE: The Import Node List utility offers a convenient way to specify a list of host
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4 In step 2 of the wizard, Jane uses the default values for Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) time-out and retry for the range. She uses the Troubleshooting Tool to determine these values. NOTE: IT Assistant offers a troubleshooting tool that can be useful in
gathering system information and subnet ranges. Access the tool by selecting ToolsTroubleshooting Tool from the menu bar. For more information, open the Troubleshooting Tool dialog box and click Help.
5 In step 3 of the wizard, Jane configures the SNMP parameters to be used during discovery: Jane ensures the Enable SNMP Discovery option is selected. She enters a case-sensitive value for the Get Community name. Jane is managing 50 servers, so she wants to configure SNMP. The Get Community name is a read-only password that SNMP agents installed on managed systems use for authentication. Jane considers the following as she selects a Get Community name: Each SNMP-enabled managed system has a Get Community name. Jane ensures that she lists each of the community names on all of the systems that she wants to manage. If Janes managed systems have more than one community name, she enters multiple community names separated by commas in the Get Community name field. Although the Get Community name affects read-only information retrieved by IT Assistant from managed systems, such as the results of discovery, status polling, and alert logs, Jane wants to limit access to this data. Therefore, she changes the default Get Community name (public) to a name known only to her and her designated backup. NOTE: Community names entered in the SNMP Get and Set community
name fields for the managed systems operating system must match the Get Community and Set Community names assigned in IT Assistant.
Janes considerations:
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Jane enters a case-sensitive value for the Set Community name. Janes considerations: The Set Community name is a read-write password that allows access to a managed system. SNMP agents running on the managed system use this password for authentication when actions are attempted on the system, only power cycle tasks use SNMP sets. NOTE: Although Dell server instrumentation has an authentication layer
above the SNMP Set community name (which requires a host name and password), many SNMP agents do not. Agents without this added security layer may allow any user who knows the SNMP Set community name to gain control of the managed system.
NOTE: IT Assistant only uses SNMP sets to power cycle systems if the
Server Administrator remote command line is not available. If SNMP sets are not required for this purpose, do not enter an SNMP set community name in the discovery wizard.
Jane chooses a Set Community name that matches the SNMP Set community value on the system she is managing. She also makes sure the name she chooses follows the secure password standards in place across her enterprise. NOTE: If you want to specify more than one SNMP Get or Set community
name in an individual discovery range (for example, one community name for each IP subnet range), separate your community names with commas.
Jane enters the SNMP time-out and retry values for the discovery range. In Janes type of network, the default values are usually good choices.
6 In step 4 of the wizard, Jane configures the CIM parameters to be used during discovery. Since Jane has a mix of servers and client systems in her managed group running Windows, she will configure CIM. Jane ensures Enable CIM Discovery is selected. In Domain\User Name, she enters the same name she used to configure CIM on the managed system. She enters the same password she used for the CIM password on the managed system. NOTE: You should enable the CIM Discovery option if you want to use the
Microsoft hardware agent for IPMI in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2.
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7 In step 5 of the wizard, Jane does not select Enable Dell/EMC Array Discovery because she does not have Dell|EMC storage devices on her network. 8 In step 6 of the wizard, Jane does not configure the IPMI parameters because she does want to monitor her systems through IPMI. 9 In step 7 of the wizard, Jane chooses what action IT Assistant will take upon completion of the wizard. 10 In step 8 of the wizard, Jane reviews her selections and clicks Finish to complete the wizard. NOTE: You can click Back to change your selections. NOTE: In a network consisting of systems that have both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, post SNMP discovery, only IPv4 addresses are displayed by IT Assistant.
Changing Discovery, Inventory, and Status Polling Settings After Original Setup
You can return to the Discovery and Monitoring menu at any time to edit the settings you entered. The new settings you enter will become effective the next time you perform the corresponding action.
Viewing Devices and Launching Applications

After configuring the discovery, inventory, and status polling settings, Jane can view the health of the devices on her network by clicking View Devices. The performance status of the devices rolls up into overall system health status and is displayed in the Devices view. To manage the devices displayed with a warning or critical state, Jane can select the following options available as part of the Application Launch feature (right-click a device and select Application Launch): Dell OpenManage Server Administrator the Web browser is launched with the Web address corresponding to the Server Administrator application for the selected device. However, this option is available only on systems that have the Server Administrator Web stack enabled. Array Manager the Array Manager console is launched. The Array Manager console must be installed on the system where the IT Assistant UI is running. RAC Console IT Assistant launches the RAC that it discovers through out-of-band or inband through the server agent.
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CMC Console IT Assistant launches the Chassis Management Controller (CMC) console that it discovers the CMC out-of-band or in-band through the server agent. NOTE: The CMC Console option is available only on limited Dell systems. Web interface for PowerConnect Console the Web browser is launched with the Web address corresponding to the PowerConnect Console for the selected device. This option is available only for PowerConnect network switches. Digital KVM Console IT Assistant launches the Digital KVM Console application. This option is enabled only for devices that are discovered as digital KVMs. Additionally, the client application must be installed on the system running the IT Assistant UI. Remote Desktop Connection IT Assistant launches it on any Windows operating system. The remote desktop client must be installed on the system where the IT Assistant UI is running. Telnet IT Assistant launches a telnet console on any Linux operating system. Telnet must be enabled on the system where the IT Assistant UI is running. Jane may also need to configure the Linux server to accept the telnet connection, and if she is using a firewall, she should ensure that the appropriate ports are open. SOL Proxy IT Assistant launches a telnet console on the Serial-over-LAN (SOL) Proxy application installed on the IT Assistant Services Tier. Jane will then need to use the SOL Proxy application to communicate with a remote managed system's baseboard management controller (BMC/iDRAC). IT Assistant does not launch the SOL Proxy in context to the BMC/iDRAC. The IP address and credentials for the remote managed system's BMC/iDRAC will be entered within the SOL session. Client Console Jane must have the remote client instrumentation applicationDell OpenManage Client Connector (OMCC)installed on the IT Assistant system. Since Jane will use this option to manage client systems running Dell OpenManage Client Instrumentation (OMCI), OMCI version 7.3 or earlier must be installed on the desktop system. Jane should also enable Common Information Model (CIM) for discovery because IT Assistant does not support Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) for desktop systems.
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Dell Client Manager (DCM) If the desktops on Janes network have OMCI version 7.4 and later, the Application Launch menu displays this option.
Jane can also choose the applications she wants to launch for multiple devices or a group of devices, such as for printers and switches, from the IT Assistant UI. For more information, see the Dell OpenManage Online Help.
Creating Alert Action Filters and Alert Actions for Janes Small-to-Medium Size Business
Jane creates an Alert Action Filter in IT Assistant by specifying a set of conditions. When tied to an Alert Action, IT Assistant will automatically execute whatever action Jane has defined. IT Assistant has three types of Alert filters: Alert Action Filters used to trigger actions when an alert condition is met Ignore/Exclude Filters used to ignore SNMP traps and CIM indications when they are received. Alert View Filters used to customize the Alert Log view
Jane chooses to use an Alert Action Filter in IT Assistant to filter warning and critical events for her servers and PowerConnect switches. That way, she will be able to create an Alert Action that will automatically send her an e-mail notification when her server and switch components enter these states. From there, she can take action to prevent a more serious event, such as a system failure. Being the only system administrator of her network, Jane must be selective about which systems she monitors, as well as the Alert Action Filters she creates. She decides to reserve these filters and actions only for her most mission-critical equipment and most severe events.
Creating an Alert Action Filter

1 Select AlertsFilters from the menu bar. The Alert Filters window appears. 2 Expand the Alert Filters in the navigation tree and right-click Alert Action Filters. Select New Alert Action Filter. The Add Filter Wizard appears.
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3 Enter a descriptive name for the filter. For example, Janes Network Warning and Critical. 4 Under Severity, select the severity of the events for which you want to receive alerts and logs. Jane selects Warning and Critical. Click Next. 5 Under Alert Category Configuration, either select Select All, or select the categories of events to include in the alert filter. Jane selects Select All because she wants to be notified of any warning or critical event that affects her network switches or servers. Click Next. 6 Under Device/Group Configuration, select the devices or groups to associate with the new action alert filter. Jane selects Servers and Network Devices. Click Next. 7 Under Date/Time Range Configuration, enter values for any or all of the optional categories. Jane leaves these options unselected since she wants the filter to apply at all times. Click Next. 8 Under Alert Action Associations, select whether you want the event captured by the filter to trigger an alert or be written to a log file. Jane selects Alert to get a console notification. 9 The New Filter Summary shows your selections. Click Finish to accept, or Back to make changes. 10 Verify that the filter name you created in step 3 of the wizard appears in the Summary of Alert Action Filters window.
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Creating an Alert Action

Now, Jane wants to create an Alert Action that is triggered by the Alert Action Filter she just set up. To create an Alert Action: 1 Jane selects AlertsActions from the menu bar. 2 Jane right-clicks Alert Actions in the navigation tree and selects New Alert Action. The Add Alert Action Wizard appears. 3 Jane gives the action a logical name in the Name field. 4 From the Type pull-down menu, Jane chooses Email. NOTE: Jane could also choose Trap Forwarding or Application Launch from the
action type pull-down list. Trap Forwarding allows large-scale enterprise managers to send SNMP traps to a specific IP address or host. Application Launch allows an administrator to specify an executable to run when the alert action filter is met.
NOTE: Any trap forwarded by IT Assistant will not have the EnterpriseOID,
Generic TrapId, and Specific Trap ID of the original trap. These values will appear in the description of the forwarded trap.
5 In the E-mail Configuration dialog, Jane specifies a valid e-mail address (within your enterprises SMTP server group) to receive the automatic notification. NOTE: Jane can test the e-mail configuration she specified by using the Test
Action button. A success/failure message will be issued. A success should be interpreted as IT Assistant sending the message, not that the recipient received it. For more information on using the Test Action button, see the Troubleshooting topic in the IT Assistant Online Help.
NOTE: To send e-mail through IT Assistant, the enterprises SMTP server
must be correctly configured. To configure the SMTP server, go to PreferencesWeb Server on the top navigation bar, and configure the SMTP Server Name (or IP Address) and DNS Suffix for SMTP Server.
6 In Alert Filter Associations, Jane identifies the Action Alert filter that will trigger this e-mail. She selects Janes Network Warning and Criticalthe name she gave the Alert Action Filter she set up earlier.
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7 A summary dialog shows Janes selections. Jane verifies that the name of the Alert Action she assigned in step 3 appears in the Summary of Alert Actions window. Jane clicks Finish to accept the changes. As a result of how Jane has configured Alert Action Filters and Alert Actions in IT Assistant, here is what will happen: IT Assistant will continuously monitor all servers and network switches on Janes network. When any server or network switch reaches a warning or critical state, the Alert Action Filter that Jane set up in IT Assistant will automatically trigger the accompanying Alert Action. The Alert Action will send Jane an e-mail notification to the address she specified. Jane then decides what action to take on the affected system, such as power cycling the system, shutting it down, or running a remote command using other IT Assistant capabilities.
Many more features are available in IT Assistant than those illustrated here. Click the Help button in the appropriate IT Assistant dialog box to see detailed Online Help about that feature. Now, let us look at how a much larger enterprise might use IT Assistant to accomplish basically the same tasks as Jane did for a small enterprise.
Discovery in Toms Enterprise-Size Business

In a larger enterprise, Tom is the systems administrator for a network of 1,000 servers. Tom also supervises four technicians who assist him by taking corrective action on servers when notified that a critical or warning event has occurred. Toms four technicians have the following areas of responsibility: One administrator responsible for all remote systems One technician for the first shift (12 hours) One technician for the second shift (12 hours) One technician for weekends who works 24-hour shifts but who responds only to critical and warning events when notified
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Configuring the Discovery Settings

Since Tom is monitoring a network of servers and no clients, his primary choice for a systems management protocol is SNMP However, since he also . manages systems running Windows, he will also enable CIM (like Jane). To configure the discovery settings for his servers, he will need to perform the following tasks: Determine subnet ranges, IP addresses, and/or host names for the servers that he wants to monitor. Determine the subnet ranges, host names, or IP addresses that he does not want to monitor. Determine SNMP read-only (Get) and read-write (Set) community names that he will use for his network. Install and configure the SNMP agents and the operating system SNMP service on each system he wants to monitor. Determine appropriate discovery time-out values for the network.
IP Subnet Ranges for Servers

Toms first decision is to determine which of the 1,000 servers he wants to monitor with IT Assistant. Tom may want to record the IP subnet range of each subnet he wants to include in his discovery, any systems or ranges he wants to exclude from discovery, corresponding community names used on each subnet, and any other data he determines is relevant to his network. An example of a form that captures this data appears in Table 6-2. Note that Tom may monitor systems based on subnet range, host name, or IP address. Although it is advisable to limit the number of community names used in a network, Tom may also define multiple read-only and read-write community names in his network environment. For example, Tom may decide that he wants a common Get community name for all systems on this network but unique Set community names for certain data centers. NOTE: IT Assistant offers a troubleshooting tool that can be useful in analyzing problems with discovery and inventory. Access the tool by selecting Tools Troubleshooting Tool from the menu bar, or by right-clicking a device in the Device view and selecting Troubleshoot. For more information, open the Troubleshooting Tool dialog box and click Help.
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Configuring SNMP on Each Managed System

Before configuring discovery, Tom needs to determine the Get and Set community names he wants to use for his network, and install and configure the SNMP agent and operating system SNMP service of each server he wants to manage. Table 6-2 provides information about the remote systems that Tom is monitoring.
Table 6-2. Example Subnet Ranges, IP Addresses, or Host Names and Corresponding Information for Data Center and Remote Servers
System Include Subnet Group Name Range Exclude Hosts or Subnet Range Read-Only/ReadWrite Community Names Number of Devices on Subnet Longest Ping Response Time Observed on Subnet (milliseconds) 64 128 78 32 146 148 132 59 128 5600
Data Center 192.166.153.* Servers 1 Data Center 192.166.154.* Servers 2 Data Center 192.166.155.* Servers 3 Data Center 192.166.156.* Servers 4 Data Center 192.166.157.* Servers 5 Data Center 192.166.158.* Servers 6 Data Center 192.166.159.* Servers 7 Data Center 192.166.160.* Servers 8 Data Center 192.166.161.* Servers 9 Remote Servers 1 10.9.72.*
192.166.153.2 examplehost
dcp123/dcsecure01 100 dcp123/dcsecure01 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 50 50
192.166.155.10-25 dcp123/dcxprivall dcp123/dcxprivall dcp123/dcxprivall dcp123/dcxprivall dcp123/dcxprivall dcp123/dcxprivall dcp123/dcxprivall dcp123/dcxprivre m
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Table 6-2. Example Subnet Ranges, IP Addresses, or Host Names and Corresponding Information for Data Center and Remote Servers (continued)
System Include Subnet Group Name Range Exclude Hosts or Subnet Range Read-Only/ReadWrite Community Names Number of Devices on Subnet 100 5 Longest Ping Response Time Observed on Subnet (milliseconds) 2400 32
Remote Servers 2 Dell|EMC Storage Devices Printers Tape Devices
10.9.73.* 192.166.162.1-10
dcp123/dcxprivre m dcp123/NA
192.166.163.51100 192.166.163.1-20
dcp123/NA dcp123/NA
25 10
32 59 64 128
Virtual 192.166.164.1 Machine 1 Virtual 192.166.164.2 Machine 2
dcp123/dcsecure01 10 dcp123/dcsecure01 10
Selecting An Appropriate Discovery Time-Out Value for the Network

Since Tom is monitoring remote systems across a WAN, time-out values may differ significantly between local systems and those further removed. In this case, it is recommended that Tom determine and set an appropriate time-out for the discovery of the systems located over the WAN. In environments with long network latency times, such as global WANs, Tom may want to consider increasing ping time-outs across the enterprise. He can determine the ping times of systems that exhibit the greatest latency on the network by using the ToolsTroubleshooting Tool and selecting the Device Connectivity tab. From there, Tom can test the connection of high-latency systems to see whether he should increase specific ping times for better WAN performance.
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Configuring Discovery Settings for the First Time in the Enterprise Network
Like Jane, if this is the first time IT Assistant has been launched since installation, Tom is presented with a welcome screen indicating that IT Assistant has not yet been configured. The four basic steps of configuration are listed: Step 1: Discovery Configuration Step 2: Inventory Configuration Step 3: Status Polling Step 4: Ranges Clicking any of the steps will take him to the corresponding dialog box under the Discovery and Monitoring menu bar in IT Assistant. Steps 1 through 3 are single-window dialog boxes; step 4 is a wizard-based procedure for defining discovery ranges.
Configuring Discovery Configuration Settings

Tom begins by configuring the discovery settings for his systems using the Discovery Configuration Settings dialog box. This dialog is displayed either automatically when he clicks Step 1: Discovery Configuration from the IT Assistant welcome screen or by choosing Discovery Configuration from the menu bar. Here, Tom enters information that IT Assistant will use for discovery. These values remain unchanged and apply to all the discovery ranges he will create later in this procedure. However, he can change these values at any time using this dialog box. To configure discovery settings in IT Assistant for a large enterprise, Tom performs the following steps: 1 Tom selects Discovery and MonitoringDiscovery Configuration from the IT Assistant menu bar. The Discovery Configuration Settings dialog box appears. Enable Device Discovery is selected by default. 2 Under Initiate Device Discovery, Tom selects when he wants IT Assistant to perform discovery. Tom wants to perform discovery every day, so he selects Every Week On, each day of the week, and 2:00 a.m. for the start time. His network traffic is the lightest at this time. 114
3 Under Discovery Speed, Tom uses the sliding bar to indicate how much network bandwidth and system resources he wants to allocate to discovery. Tom sets the discovery speed to Fast (all the way to the right). Tom wants to discover all of the systems he is going to manage with IT Assistant rapidly and get them in the database. For subsequent discoveries, if Tom finds that this setting dramatically impacts the network performance while he is attempting to perform other tasks on the network, he can change the Discovery Speed to consume fewer network resources. 4 Under Discover, Tom can choose whether to discover all devices or only instrumented devices. 5 Under Name Resolution, Tom can select DNS Name Resolution or Instrumentation Name Resolution. 6 Domain Name System (DNS) name resolution matches the IP address of a system to a host name. Instrumentation name resolution queries the managed systems agent instrumentation for its name. See your device or system documentation for more information on how to configure instrumentation name resolution.
. NOTE: If you are managing a cluster, you must use instrumentation name resolution to be able to discern each independent node (system); otherwise, using DNS name resolution is recommended.
7 Tom clicks OK.
Configuring Inventory Settings

Next, Tom enters inventory settings. IT Assistant collects inventory information about software and firmware versions, as well as device-related information about memory, processor, power supply, PCI cards and embedded devices, and storage. This information is stored in the IT Assistant database and can be used to generate customized reports. To set inventory settings, Tom performs the following steps: 1 Tom selects Discovery and MonitoringInventory Configuration from the menu bar. The Inventory Poll Settings dialog box is displayed. Enable Inventory is selected by default. 2 In the dialog box under Initiate Inventory, Tom selects when he wants IT Assistant to perform inventory.
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Tom sets inventory for weekly on Saturday at 3:00 a.m. 3 Under Inventory Speed, Tom uses the sliding bar to indicate how much network bandwidth and system resources he wants to allocate to inventory. NOTE: The faster you set the inventory speed, the more network resources
discovery will consume. Faster inventory speeds may impact network performance adversely.
4 Tom clicks OK. NOTE: IT Assistant versions 8.0 and later can display the inventory information for printers, tapes, and storage devices. For more information, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help.
Configuring Status Polling Settings

Next, Tom defines status polling settings for his systems. IT Assistant performs a power and connectivity health check for discovered devices, determining whether a device is operating normally, is in a non-normal state, or is powered down. Status messages in IT Assistant include healthy, warning, critical, and powered down. Status icons also indicate if a system is not instrumented, if there is no information for the system, or the state the system was in when it was last powered down. To set status polling settings, Tom performs the following steps: 1 Tom selects Discovery and MonitoringStatus Polling Configuration from the menu bar. The Status Polling Configuration Settings dialog box is displayed. Enable Status Polling is selected by default. 2 Under Status Polling Interval, Tom selects the interval he wants IT Assistant to use to perform status polling. 3 Under Status Polling Speed, Tom uses the sliding bar to indicate how much network bandwidth and system resources he wants to allocate to status polling. NOTE: The faster you set the status polling speed, the more network
resources discovery will consume. Faster speeds may impact network performance.
4 Tom clicks OK.
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Configuring Discovery Ranges

IT Assistant maintains information about network segments that it uses to discover devices. A discovery range can be a subnet, range of IP addresses on a subnet, individual IP address, or an individual host name. Toms enterprise network is organized into a number of subnets. There are 850 servers in the datacenter and 150 remote servers. Tom refers to the IP subnet ranges he wrote down for his servers (see Table 6-2). Toms datacenter servers are divided into eight separate subnets, and his remote servers are divided into two subnets. To identify his systems to IT Assistant, Tom must define a discovery range. To identify an include range, Tom performs the following steps: 1 Tom selects Discovery and MonitoringRanges from the menu bar. The Discovery Ranges navigation tree is displayed on the left side of the IT Assistant window. 2 Tom expands Discovery Ranges, right-clicks Include Ranges and selects New Include Range. The New Discovery Wizard starts. 3 In step 1 of the wizard, Tom can enter an IP address, an IP address range, or a host name. Based on the information about Toms systems in Table 6-2, he must add different IP address ranges. Tom can combine those ranges that have common settings (community name, timeouts, retry intervals, choice of protocol for discovery, and user credentials). For example, he can combine the Data Center Servers 3 to Data Center Servers 9 groups. He enters the IP address range as: 192.166.155.* Instead of completing this wizard multiple times with same entries in all the wizard panes to include all these systems, Tom clicks Add to add multiple ranges of IP addresses. The second time, he enters: 192.166.156.* and so on.
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NOTE: Ensure that you have a separate range for Dell|EMC devices. This is
because apart from the SNMP credentials, Dell|EMC devices also require the Navisphere credentials.
Tom clicks Next to go to the next step. NOTE: The Import Node List utility offers a convenient way to specify a list of
host names, IP addresses, and subnet ranges for IT Assistant to discover. See the IT Assistant Online Help for instructions on how to run the utility from the command line. The importnodelist.exe file is in the /bin directory.
4 In step 2 of the wizard, Tom enters the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) time-out and retry values for the range. Tom chooses the highest time-out retry value for the ranges that he combines. For example, in Table 6-2 for Data Center Servers 3 to Data Center Servers 9, Tom chooses 148 milliseconds, the highest time-out interval in that range. 5 In step 3 of the wizard, Tom configures the SNMP parameters to be used during discovery: Tom ensures the Enable SNMP Discovery option is selected. NOTE: Tom will have to select this option if he wants to discover the Virtual
Machines on his network.
Tom enters a case-sensitive value for the Get Community name. The Get Community name is a read-only password that SNMP agents installed on managed systems use for authentication. Toms considerations: Tom considers the following as he selects a Get Community name: Each SNMP managed system has a Get Community name. Tom ensures that he lists each of the community names on all of the systems he wants to manage. If Toms managed systems have more than one community name, he can enter multiple community names separated by commas in the Get Community name field. Although the Get Community name affects read-only information retrieved by IT Assistant from managed systems, such as the results of discovery, status polling, and alert logs, Tom wants to limit access to this data. Therefore, he changes the default Get Community name (public) to a name known only to him and his system administrators.
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NOTE: Community names entered in the SNMP Get and Set community
name fields for the managed systems operating system must match the Get Community and Set Community names assigned in IT Assistant.
Tom enters a case-sensitive value for the Set Community name. Toms considerations: The Set Community name is a read-write password that allows access to a managed system. SNMP agents running on the managed system use this password for authentication when actions are attempted on the system, including shutting down, configuring action alerts, and updating software. NOTE: Although Dell server instrumentation has an authentication layer
above the SNMP Set community name (which requires a host name and password), many SNMP agents do not. Agents without this added security layer allow any user who knows the SNMP Set community name to gain control of the managed system.
Tom chooses a Set Community name that matches the SNMP Set community value on the system he is managing. He also makes sure the name he chooses follows the secure password standards in place across his enterprise. NOTE: If you want to specify more than one SNMP Get or Set
community name in an individual discovery range (for example, one community name for each IP subnet range), separate your community names with commas. Server Administrator remote command line is not available. If SNMP sets are not required for this purpose, do not enter an SNMP set community name in the discovery wizard.
NOTE: IT Assistant only uses SNMP sets to power cycle systems if the
Tom enters time-out and retry values for the SNMP discovery range.
6 In step 4 of the wizard, Tom configures the CIM parameters to be used during discovery. Since Tom also has systems running Windows, he needs to configure CIM. Tom ensures Enable CIM Discovery is selected. NOTE: Ensure that CIM is configured for Windows 2008 Server with Hyper-V
role to enable full virtualization support.
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In Domain\User Name, Tom enters the same name that he used to configure CIM on the managed system. Also, ensure that CIM is selected. Tom enters the same Password that he used for the CIM password on the managed system. NOTE: For inband IPMI support enable CIM Discovery option from the wizard. However, this is supported only on Dell PowerEdge xx8x and later systems
running Windows Server 2003 R2 or Windows Server 2008. For out-of-band IPMI support on xx8x servers, enable IPMI from the wizard.
7 In step 5 of the wizard, Tom selects the Enable Dell/EMC Array Discovery. In this screen, Tom gives the following details: Navisphere Username Navisphere Password NOTE: You can use this field only if you have Dell|EMC devices in the
discovery range.
8 In step 6 of the wizard, Tom configures the following IPMI parameters of the BMC/iDRAC of his managed systems. User name Password KG Key NOTE: KG Key is applicable only on Dell PowerEdge x9xx and later systems,
which support IPMI version 2.0. By default, KG Key is disabled on the BMC/iDRAC.
NOTE: If you have Dell PowerEdge x8xx and later systems on your network and you enable the KG Key on, for example, Dell x9xx systems, you must
specify two separate ranges to discover these systems.
Since Tom has new uninstrumented (without any Dell agent installed) Dell x9xx systems, he can discover these systems using IPMI discovery. For more information, see "Using IPMI Discovery in Toms Enterprise-Size Business" on page 128. 9 In step 7 of the wizard, Tom can choose what action IT Assistant will take upon completion of the wizard. 120
10 In step 8 of the wizard, Tom reviews his selections and clicks Finish to complete the wizard. NOTE: IT Assistant versions 8.0 and later can discover printers, tapes, and storage devices. For more information, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help. NOTE: In a network consisting of systems that have both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, post SNMP discovery, only IPv4 addresses are displayed by IT Assistant.
Exclude Systems From Discovery
IT Assistant also provides the capability to exclude specific systems from discovery. This feature is normally used in larger enterprise environments to improve speed, to isolate a system with a problematic agent, or to enhance security and convenience. Tom has one system in his enterprise that contains highly sensitive information. So sensitive, in fact, that he doesnt even want the system visible to his system administrators. Therefore, he sets an Exclude Range to isolate that system from routine network discovery. 1 Tom selects Discovery and MonitoringRanges from the menu bar. The Discovery Ranges navigation tree is displayed on the left side of the IT Assistant window. 2 Tom expands Discovery Ranges, right-clicks Exclude Ranges and selects New Exclude Range. The New Exclude Range dialog box appears. 3 Tom enters the IP address for the system and clicks OK. As a result, that system is hidden from routine discovery by IT Assistant.
Changing Discovery, Inventory, and Status Polling Settings After Original Setup
Tom can return to the Discovery and Monitoring menu at any time and edit the settings he entered. The new settings will become effective the next time he performs the corresponding action. For information on how Tom can view devices on his network, and the applications that he can launch to manage the health of his devices, see "Viewing Devices and Launching Applications" on page 105.
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Creating Alert Action Filters and Alert Actions for Toms Large Enterprise
IT Assistant offers Tom the ability to set up Alert Action Filters that specify a set of system conditions. When these conditions are met, Tom can also create an Alert Action in IT Assistant that is triggered by the Alert Action Filter. The Alert Action takes whatever action Tom has defined. NOTE: Dell OpenManage Server Administrator only sends events to IT Assistant as SNMP traps. It does not send CIM indications for either instrumentation or storage events from a server. IT Assistant has three types of filters: Alert Action Filters used to trigger actions when an alert condition is met Ignore/Exclude Filters used to ignore SNMP traps and CIM indications when they are received. Alert View Filters used to customize the Alert Log view
Before Tom creates Alert Action Filters or Alert Actions for his 1,000-server environment, he creates two custom groups to better facilitate event notification. According to the scenario outlined previously, most of Toms servers are housed in a datacenter while some are remote. Toms decides on this strategy for setting up IT Assistant. He decides to: 1 Create one custom group for the datacenter servers and one custom group for the remote servers. 2 Create an Alert Action Filter for each of the four administrators who help Tom with the remote and datacenter servers on different days and different shifts. 3 Create an Alert Action that will be triggered by the corresponding Alert Action Filter to automatically e-mail the appropriate administrator at the appropriate day and time.
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Toms Administrators
Tom has three administrators; all are responsible for keeping the datacenter servers operational, and they work the following hours: Bob works onsite for the first shift Monday through Friday (7 A.M. to 7 P.M.) John works onsite second shift Monday through Friday (7 P.M. to 7 A.M.) Jill is on call weekends from 7 P.M. Friday to 7 A.M. Monday Notify Bob, John, and himself by e-mail any time a datacenter server warning or critical events occur Notify Jill by e-mail of any warning or critical events, but only if they occur during the time that she is on call
Therefore, Tom wants to configure IT Assistant to:
Creating Custom Groups
Tom requires two custom groups to manage notification of his four administrators who are going to take action on the critical and warning events for his 1,000 servers. The custom groups are remote servers and datacenter servers. 1 From the IT Assistant menu bar, Tom selects ViewsDevices. 2 Tom right-clicks the top-level root in the IT Assistant navigation tree and selects New Group. The Add Group Wizard appears. 3 Tom enters a name and description for the group he wants to add. Tom names the group Datacenter Servers. 4 In the Group Membership dialog, Tom can either select the devices to include in the new group or, if a query-based group, he selects the query from the pull-down menu. 5 Tom review his selections in the summary screen and clicks Finish to complete the wizard. 6 Tom repeats the previous steps to create a second group named Remote Servers.
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Creating an Alert Action Filter

Now, Tom will create an Alert Action Filter that includes each of the four administrators who work for him. In the following procedure, you can see how creating custom groups for the two types of servers make it easier to create the filters. To create an alert action filter, Tom performs the following steps: 1 Tom selects AlertsFilters from the menu bar. The Alert Filters window appears. 2 Tom expands the Alert Filters in the navigation tree and right-clicks Alert Action Filters. He selects New Action Alert Filter. The Add Filter Wizard appears. Tom plans to create three filters, one for each of the notification event actions that he is going to create for each of his administrators. Tom has to create each of his three filters one at a time. Tom creates filters for the following: Datacenter first shift (MF, 7 A.M.7 P.M.) Datacenter second shift (MF, 7 P.M.7A.M.) Weekend administrator (7 P.M. Friday to 7 A.M. Monday)
3 Tom enters a descriptive name for the filter. Tom chooses DC 1st Shift as his name for the first filter. The names he chooses for the other two filters will be DC 2nd Shift, and Weekend Admin. 4 Under Severity, Tom selects the severity of the events for which he wants to receive alerts and logs. For the DC 1st Shift filter, Tom selects Warning and Critical and clicks Next. 5 Under Alert Category Configuration, Tom selects Select All because he wants to monitor all of the servers in his enterprise and clicks Next. 6 Under Device/Group Configuration, Tom selects the name of device or group to associate with the new action alert filter. Tom selects Datacenter Servers, the name of one of the custom groups he created previously and clicks Next. 7 Under Date/Time Range Configuration, Tom enters values for any or all of the optional categories.
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Tom selects different time and day values for each of the three filters. Tom does not select date filters, but could use this value if he wanted to create a filter and action for a vacation, an outside service vendor, or another special situation. For the DC 1st Shift filter, Tom enables the time range 7:00:00 A.M. to 7:00:00 P.M. and enables the days Monday through Friday. For the DC 2nd Shift filter, Tom enables the time range 7:00:00 P.M. to 7:00:00 A.M. and enables the days Monday through Friday. For the Weekend Admin filter, Tom specifies two filters (WA1 and WA2): For WA1, Tom enables the time range 7:00:00 P.M. to 7:00:00 A.M. and selects the days Friday to Monday. For WA2, he enables the time range 7:00:00 A.M. to 7:00:00 P.M. and selects the days Saturday and Sunday.
Tom clicks Next. 8 Under Alert Action Associations, Tom decides whether he wants the event captured by the filter to trigger an action or be written to a log file. Tom selects Alert, since he wants IT Assistant to notify the selected administrators by e-mail when the system enters a Critical or Warning state. Click Next. 9 The New Filter Summary shows Toms selections. He verifies that the filter name he assigned in step 3 appears in the Summary of Alert Action Filters window. Tom clicks Finish to accept the changes.
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Notification Alert Actions in the Enterprise Environment

Toms alert action filters and groups are now configured so that he can set up e-mail alert actions to automatically notify himself and his three administrators. Toms strategy is as follows: Set up IT Assistant to send e-mail to his administrators when any warning or critical events occur, depending on their on-call or shift status Copy himself on all messages so he can to stay aware of overall server events
Tom is configuring e-mail for himself, as well as for his first- and second-shift datacenter administrators and his weekend administrator. Therefore, he will repeat the following procedure four timesfor himself, Bob, John, and Jill. NOTE: To send e-mail through IT Assistant, go to PreferencesWeb Server on the top navigation bar, and configure the SMTP Server Name (or IP Address) and DNS Suffix for SMTP Server.
Creating an Alert Action

To create an alert action: 1 Tom selects AlertsActions from the menu bar. 2 Tom right-clicks Alert Actions in the navigation and selects New Alert Action. The Add Alert Action Wizard appears. 3 Tom gives the action a logical name in the Name field. Tom is configuring a separate Alert Action for himself, Bob, John, and Jill. Each time he repeats the procedure here, he uses the following names in the Name field: Tom ADMIN MGR e-mail DC 1st Shift Bob e-mail DC 2nd Shift John e-mail Weekend Admin Jill e-mail
4 From the Type pull-down menu, Tom chooses Email.
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5 In the E-mail Configuration dialog, Tom specifies a valid e-mail address (within your enterprises SMTP server group) to receive the automatic notification. NOTE: Tom can test the e-mail configuration he specified by using the Test
Action button. A success/failure message will be issued. Tom can specify multiple e-mail addresses, separated by a comma or semi-colon.
6 In Alert Filter Associations, Tom identifies the Action Alert filter that will trigger this e-mail. Tom supplies the names of the Alert Filters he set up in the previous procedureeither DC 1st Shift, DC 2nd Shift, or Weekend Admin each time he performs this step. 7 A summary dialog shows Toms selections. He clicks Finish to accept the changes. He verifies that the Alert Action he defined in step 3 appears in the Summary of Alert Actions window. As a result of how Tom has configured Alert Action Filters and Alert Actions in IT Assistant, here is what will happen: IT Assistant will continuously monitor all servers on Toms network. When any server reaches a warning or critical state, IT Assistant will automatically send Tom an e-mail notification at the address he specified in the Alert Action wizard. When any server reaches a warning or critical state, IT Assistant will automatically send either Bob, John, or Jill an e-mail notification depending on the date range specified in the Alert Action Filter wizard.
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Using IPMI Discovery in Toms Enterprise-Size Business

Let us say that Tom has purchased 100 Dell PowerEdge x9xx systems for his enterprise. These systems are equipped with the BMC/iDRAC that support IPMI versions 1.5 or later. These new systems are uninstrumented, that is, they do not have any Dell agent installed on them. IT Assistant versions 8.0 and later communicate with the BMC/iDRAC directly (out-of-band) or through the Windows IPMI Provider on a Windows Server 2003 R2 system (in-band) and Windows Server 2008, and classifies these systems under the Server category in the Device tree. Using the IPMI discovery feature, Tom can: Classify his uninstrumented Dell devices View information about the uninstrumented devices Launch the Serial-Over-LAN (SOL) Proxy Launch the IPMI Shell (IPMISH) and perform remote power control tasks on the managed systems
Classification and Display of Non-Dell Systems

Devices discovered through IPMI will display under Out of Band Unclassified DevicesIPMI Unclassified Devices. NOTE: This is applicable for non-Dell devices. Each device will display in the tree as <server hostname>. NOTE: If the host name is unavailable, the device will display the device IP address. Devices with IPMI version 1.5 support only a limited notion of system health, including intrusion, fans, power supplies, and drives (off the internal backplane only). This health is a yellow or green indicator. Devices with IPMI version 2.0 support all health states, including normal, warning, and critical. NOTE: Dell PowerEdge x8xx systems support IPMI version 1.5 and Dell x9xx and later systems support IPMI version 2.0 or later.
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Hardware Logs
Devices under the IPMI Discovered Devices group have a tab for viewing the hardware logs. Each time the view is refreshed, a connection will be made by the IT Assistant management system to the target system to retrieve the up-to-date logs. The connection will be closed after all the records are retrieved to free up resources and minimize connection usage, since the BMC/iDRAC has a limit on open connections. The Hardware Logs tab is used for log retrieval through all supported protocols.
Launch Points
Tom right-clicks each device under IPMI Discovered Devices to access the launch point for Serial-Over-LAN (SOL). SOL is the only pre-configured application that can be launched from the IPMI Discovered Devices group. NOTE: The Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC) also has a telnet launch point to connect to the DRAC.
IPMISH Tasks
Tom can run IPMI Shell (IPMISH) tasks on the devices discovered through IPMI. If he selects devices from the IPMI Enabled Devices group, he can use either $IP or $BMC_IP . NOTE: Use the -k parameter on the Baseboard Management Utility (BMU) command line to enter the IPMI encryption key.
Viewing Information on a Non-Dell System

Tom can view the embedded logs on a non-Dell device with Windows Server 2003 R2 (with System Management MSI installed), as well as view information available through the standard operating system instrumentation. He should have enabled CIM discovery for the include range corresponding to the device, using the administrator privilege user account for CIM discovery. NOTE: For non-administrator user accounts, the hardware management agent will not be discovered. Click a device in the Device tree to view device information. The Hardware Logs tab contains information corresponding to the embedded logs.
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The device summary tab contains information retrieved through the standard operating system instrumentation. This data includes NIC, operating system, BIOS, contact, memory, and processor information. The device will be listed under the Unknown category, as there is no device type information available through the standard operating system instrumentation.
Summary
This chapter has covered IT Assistant configuration in both the small-to-medium business and large enterprise network environments. Following the examples shown here will allow you to more successfully configure IT Assistant. Many more features are available in IT Assistant than those illustrated here. Click the Help button in the appropriate IT Assistant dialog box to see detailed Online Help about that feature.
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Performance and Power Monitoring

Use Dell OpenManage IT Assistant to monitor the performance and power consumption of a single system or a group of systems on your network.
Performance Monitoring helps you monitor the performance of a group of devices with supported Microsoft Windows or Linux operating systems over a specified period of time. Performance is monitored with the help of a set of performance counters available for each component. You can select and monitor these performance counters. You can configure thresholds for each performance counter and also configure alerts to be sent when the thresholds are crossed. Using the Performance Monitoring feature, you can view the performance of individual devices rolled up on the Device tree. The overall performance of a device is calculated as the worst case status of the individual performance counter attributes monitored for the device. For example, if the status for the CPU Utilization counter is critical and the status of the memory paging counter is warning, the overall performance status of the devices is displayed as critical. From the Device tree, you can drill down to the performance counters and take appropriate actions. To view details of how each performance counter is performing on a Dell system, do the following: 1 From the Device tree, expand the Server category 2 Select the system for which you want information. 3 On the right hand side pane, select the Performance and Power tab. This tab displays the performance and power counter information for the selected system. From this view, you can create multiple tasks to monitor multiple devices and manage these tasks, view results, and logs of these tasks. NOTE: Performance monitoring enables you to monitor the usage of your systems as against monitoring the health of the systems, which is provided by alerts and notifications. 131
Power Monitoring
The power monitoring feature helps you to collect, store, and display the instantaneous values of power (watts) consumed, amperes drawn by each power supply, and the total energy consumed by a device. NOTE: The power monitoring feature requires that the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator version 5.3 or later be installed on the managed systems. You can choose the appropriate power monitoring counters from the performance and power manager task wizard and select the frequency in which the data is collected. The collected data is available on the Performance and Power tab associated with each device, or the Execution Results tab associated with each Performance and Power Monitoring task. The maximum value observed for a given system (Watts/Amps) is also collected during each polling cycle. This value is compared with the existing peak value in the IT Assistant database, and if the values are different, the database value is replaced with the values in the current polling cycle. The new value is displayed on the Group Summary and Maximum Values tab in the Performance and Power Monitoring screen. NOTE: IT Assistant polls the managed systems at a frequency that you determine. If you select a polling frequency that is too low, it is possible that the variations in the power consumption are not captured adequately, and this may result in inaccurate instantaneous power consumption graphs.
Performance and Power Monitoring in Toms Enterprise-Size Business

Tom wants to use this feature to monitor how the Dell systems, specifically the PowerEdge x9xx systems, on his network are being used. His main considerations for using this feature are: 132 Are the systems on my network under- or over-utilized? Do I need to move my hardware (for example, CPU) or applications to another system? How are my systems performing during peak and non-peak hours? What is the energy consumption and the peak power values in my systems? Would I need to balance the load among my systems?
To be able to answer these questions, Tom would need to perform the following: Create a performance and power monitoring task Monitor the systems over a period of time View the data on the IT Assistant console Export the data into comma-separated values and save it for later use
Creating a Performance and Power Monitoring Task

To create a performance and power monitoring task, Tom performs the following steps: 1 Tom selects ManagePerformance and Power Monitoring from the menu bar. 2 Tom right-clicks Performance and Power Monitoring Task and selects New Task.... The New Task Wizard appears. 3 Tom enters a descriptive name for the task. For example, All x9xx systems. Tom clicks Next. 4 Under Select Schedule, Tom selects a start date and an optional end date to measure the performance attribute. He selects a 24-hour schedule to monitor his systems during peak and non-peak hours. Tom also adjusts the sampling interval based on how often he wants to sample his systems. NOTE: Tom should take the network capacity into consideration. A bigger
sampling interval would not give an accurate picture and a smaller interval may load the network and the monitored systems. that the task will be triggered every two minutes.
NOTE: The minimum frequency that Tom can set is two minutes, which means
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5 Under Select Attributes, Tom selects the performance, as well as the power monitoring counters: CPU and Memory attributes (for performance), Power Consumption, Energy Consumption, and Peak Amperage (for power management). He sets their warning and critical threshold values and specifies the number of samples for which the threshold values should be crossed. For example, he sets the warning threshold for: %Kernel Utilization Time as > 70% for 10 samples %Processor Utilization Time as > 70% for 10 samples %Power Consumption as > 1000 W %Amperage per Power Supply as >7000 milliAmps for 10 samples NOTE: The Power Monitoring attributes are supported only on limited
Dell systems.
NOTE: Tom cannot set threshold values for energy and peak measurement
(Peak power and Peak amperage) counters.
And the critical threshold for: %Kernel Utilization Time as > 90% for 15 samples %Processor Utilization Time as > 90% for 15 samples %Power Consumption as > 1200 W %Amperage per Power Supply as > 10000 milliAmps for 10 samples
Tom can select Send Warning Alert or Send Critical Alert to receive warning or critical alerts in the Alert logs. NOTE: If Tom sets a smaller sampling interval but selects a large number of
counters, and devices, he may see a warning message indicating excess resource utilization. Tom should set a higher sampling interval or decrease the number of counters and devices to avoid this situation.
6 Under Device Selection, Tom can select the groups having Dell x9xx systems from the tree or provide a query. 7 Under Enter Credentials, Tom enters the operating system User ID and Password, which is valid for all selected devices.
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8 Tom reviews his selection in the Summary screen and clicks Finish. The All x9xx systems task appears on the tree under the Performance and Power Monitoring Tasks parent node. NOTE: Performance monitoring tasks are not supported on VMware ESX and VMware ESX 3i hosts. Power monitoring tasks are supported on all virtualization hosts except VMware ESX 3i.
Monitoring System Usage on the Network

To monitor the usage of all PowerEdge x9xx systems on the network, Tom performs the following steps: 1 Tom clicks the All x9xx systems task under the Performance and Power Monitoring Tasks parent node. 2 The summary of the task is displayed under the Summary tab on the right hand side of the screen. 3 To view the monitoring in greater detail, Tom selects the Execution Results tab. This tab displays the counters Tom chose in step 5 of the "Creating a Performance and Power Monitoring Task" on page 133. The counters keep a count of how a system is utilized. Tom can sort on the counters to view how a particular component, for example, the %Kernel Utilization Time for each system is being utilized. If the counters have been appropriately set, the counter colors would fairly indicate how well that systems are being utilized. Hover the mouse over the counter to get an indication of how the system component is performing. For example, If the counter is green for most of the time, it could indicate that the counter is well within the specified limits and could indicate that the system component can take more load, depending on the levels that Tom has set. If the counter is yellow or red for a small amount of time, it could indicate that the system component is still partially-utilized. If the counter is red for most samples, it could indicate that the system component is over-utilized.
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See Table 7-1 for a sample of how systems on Toms network may be utilized.
Table 7-1. Sample of Toms network utilization CPU Utilization System 1 System 2 High Low Memory Utilization Network Usage Low High Medium Medium
If %CPU Utilization Time is red for most of the samples collected (highly used), it could mean that some application is over-utilizing the CPU. Tom could consider moving this application to a system for which the %CPU Utilization Time is green for most samples. In this case, from System 1 to System 2. Tom could also move a memory module from System 1 to System 2 to balance the load, or he could consider upgrading the hardware or purchasing new memory modules. If Tom monitors his systems over the weekend, and finds out the network and CPU utilization counters are green (within the specified range) for 70% of the samples, yellow (non-critical) for 20% of the samples, and red (critical) for 10% of the samples collected, it could mean that the network and CPU utilization counters could be red for most samples during the weekdays. The systems will be overloaded, and Tom could decide to add more systems to his network or decide on some other form of load-balancing.
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Figure 7-1. Sample Performance and Power Monitoring Screen
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4 In the Execution Results tab, Tom can right-click a counter and do one of the following: Select Export. This will export the details into a comma-separated values (CSV) file. Tom can then use other tools like Microsoft Excel to generate better reports. Click View Chart to view the graphical representation of the performance, aggregate power consumed, and the aggregate energy consumed information of the device. Tom can give a time range and view the system usage graphically. NOTE: Tom can also view the charts and export them from the Summary tab,
in the lower pane.
Click Delete Execution Results. Right-click a column header and select Customize View. This view customizes the view for the devices.
5 In the Group Summary and Maximum Values tab, Tom can view the maximum watts/amps and the aggregate power or energy used by each device for which this task is running. NOTE: The Group Summary and Maximum Values tab is available only if
Tom selects the aggregate (Aggregate power and Aggregate energy) or peak counters (Peak power and Peak amperage) in the Power Management attribute.
6 In the Execution Log tab, Tom can view the execution summary information for each run of the task. He can also use the time selection fields to select the From time he wants to view the logs. NOTE: Execution log entries older than 14 days will be purged. 7 In the Performance and Power tab on the Device tree, Tom can view the performance and power counters information for the selected device.
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Suggested Threshold Configuration for Performance and Power Monitoring

Table 7-2 shows the sample threshold settings for each performance and power counter.
Table 7-2. Sample Threshold Settings for Performance and Power Counter Resource Performance Counter Attribute CPU %Processor Utilization Time Suggested Threshold Less than 85% Comments Total processor usage should remain under 85%, infrequent spikes exceeding 85% for brief periods is acceptable. Continued spikes for a prolonged time may indicate an increase in system load. Depends on the number of processors in the system. This is an instantaneous number. Needs observation over several cycles. If available memory is under 10% 20% of the installed RAM for an extended period, it may indicate need for more memory. Should remain under 20 with the exception of brief spikes. Review this value in conjunction with Available Memory and Pages/Second.
System
Context Switch/second
Depends on the system activity 2
System
Processor Queue Length
Memory Available Memory
Less than 10 -20% of installed RAM Less than 4MB for systems with large memory Less than 20
Memory Pages/Second
Memory %Page File Usage
95%
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Table 7-2. Sample Threshold Settings for Performance and Power Counter (continued) Resource Performance Counter Attribute Network BytesReceived/Second PacketsReceived/Second BytesSent/Second PacketsSent/Second Suggested Threshold Sharp deviation from average values for an extended period of time. Depends on the type of network Depends on manufacturer's specifications Comments A sharp increase or decrease above normal levels is a strong indicator of network issues.
Physical Disk
Physical Disk I/O per Second
Check the specified transfer rate for your disks to verify that this rate does not exceed the specifications. In general, Ultra Wide SCSI disks can handle 50 to 70 I/O operations per second. Threshold value is relative to the total amount of disk space and the average I/O activity on the system.
Logical Disk
Free Space
Less than 15%
NOTE: Starting with IT Assistant 8.4, IT Assistant does not display data for the LogicalDiskFreeSpace counter on Windows 2000 managed nodes.
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Resource Usage by SQL Server and IT Assistant

Table 7-3 shows the recommended hardware configuration required for performance and power monitoring.
Table 7-3. Recommended Hardware Configuration for IT Assistant for Performance and Power Monitoring Minimum Minimum Database Number of Memory Required CPUs Maximum Number of user sessions per user Maximum Number of Performance Counters 10 Minimum Supported Sampling Frequency 2 minutes Maximum Number of Devices 15
Single CPU 2.0 GHz Single CPU 2.0 GHz Single CPU 2.0 GHz Single CPU 2.0 GHz
1 GB
MSDE/SQL 1 Express 2005 MSDE/SQL 1 Express 2005 SQL 2000/ SQL Server 2005 SP2 SQL 2000/ SQL Server 2005 SP2 SQL 2000/ SQL Server 2005 SP2 SQL 2000/ SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition 2
1 GB
18
2 minutes
1 GB
10
2 minutes
30
1 GB
18
2 minutes
20
Dual CPU 1 GB 2.0 GHz Dual CPU 1 GB 2.0 GHz
10
3 minutes
100
10
5 minutes
200
NOTE: The hardware configuration listed in this table refer to the minimum supported configuration. For the most recent update on these requirements, see the IT Assistant readme on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals.
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IT Assistant provides a centralized software update capability. You can load Dell Update Packages and System Update Sets (system bundles) into the IT Assistant repository, either from the Dell Server Updates media or from the Dell FTP site at ftp.dell.com, then run a compliance check of all the systems in your enterprise against the Update Packages. NOTE: Dell OpenManage Content Manager creates multi-level directories in the output when ftp.dell.com is used as the source for the packages. IT Assistant does not support such multi-level directories for software updates. NOTE: A System Update Set is a logical set of Dell-certified packages that work together without problems. NOTE: For Dell OpenManage version 5.3 and above, the Software Update Utility is available only on the Dell Server Updates DVD. However, for Dell OpenManage version below 5.3, the Software Update Utility is available on the Dell PowerEdge Server Update Utility CD. For the purposes of this guide, the Dell Server Updates DVD and the Dell PowerEdge Server Update Utility CD will be hereafter called the Server Updates media. The highlights of the software update feature of Dell OpenManage IT Assistant are: Software Web updates: You can schedule a task to check the Dell FTP site at ftp.dell.com for availability of new update packages in System Update Sets. You can configure an e-mail task to notify you of new updates. You can also configure the task to send notification of all updates or just those updates that apply to the systems in your network. Digital Signature verification: IT Assistant checks the authenticity and integrity of the update packages, catalogs, and MSI files using digital signature verification. NOTE: If you are running the software update task across a wide area network (WAN), the task could fail if the network does not have sufficient bandwidth. However, if you want to perform this task across WAN locations, it is recommended that you install IT Assistant locally on a system at the remote location, have the update package/installers available locally on the IT Assistant system and access the IT Assistant through Remote Desktop to that system.
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Jane and Tom can upgrade their BIOS, firmware, or drivers for the servers and storage devices on their network using IT Assistant. Depending on the differences in the size/nature of organization, and their usage model, they can use one of the following sources to obtain the latest updates: Dell Support website: Configure IT Assistant to synchronize with the Dell FTP site at ftp.dell.com to automatically download update packages. For more information, see "Using Software Web Updates" on page 144. Server Updates Media: Import the update packages from the Server Updates media, which is released about once every quarter, and contains latest update packages. Manual Update: Manually obtain update packages from the Dell Support website and import them to the IT Assistant Repository. This method is simpler, if Tom/Jane have to download a couple of packages. NOTE: In the system where you run the IT Assistant user interface from, the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) should have at least 256 MB of free space for the JRE memory (heap memory) to run the software updates task. For information on how to set this parameter, see "Setting the Java Runtime Parameter in Supported Windows Environment" on page 164 and "Setting the Java Runtime Parameter in Supported Linux Environment" on page 165.
Using Software Web Updates

When you install (or upgrade to) IT Assistant, on a new nodeOnline Repositoryis displayed in the Repositories tree. This repository is empty and will contain update packages only when you synchronize IT Assistant with the Dell FTP site at ftp.dell.com. The Online Repository will now display the last known contents at ftp.dell.com. You can configure IT Assistant to check ftp.dell.com for new updates and download them into the Online Repository. NOTE: Starting with IT Assistant 8.2 and later, the repository tree, by default, will show a simplified view; displaying only those update packages/bundles that are discovered on your network. Click Classic View to display all systems, irrespective of whether there are corresponding devices on your network. NOTE: For applying hotfixes, you can do a direct import of a DUP to the repository. The individual DUPs can be obtained from support.dell.com. Once imported, copy the DUPS to a local windows directory. From IT Assistant, invoke a file-chooser widget and select this DUP to be imported to IT Assistant repository. 144
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If you select automatic download of updates from ftp.dell.com to the Online Repository, you could use the repository as a cache to review the contents of the Online Repository before importing them to the IT Assistant Repository. Alternatively, you may choose to automatically download and import any new updates to the IT Assistant repository during each synchronization. To see the latest updates available at ftp.dell.com, configure the Online Synchronization task and run it. Synchronization of the Online Repository causes IT Assistant to check the availability of latest contents at ftp.dell.com. You may also choose to automatically download only the relevant packages so that they are ready for import to IT Assistant Repository. You can then schedule and configure how often you want IT Assistant to check ftp.dell.com for new updates. You can synchronize the Online Repository on-demand through the user interface. IT Assistant verifies the integrity and authenticity of every content downloaded from ftp.dell.com by verifying its digital signature. Let us look at how Tom might use this feature in his enterprise. Tom represents a large enterprise (about 1,000 systems, plus printers, tapes, and virtual machines). His systems have different operating systems, and comprise various controllers and storage components. Tom wants to be notified as soon as new/updated packages are available. This will enable him to decide if his systems require immediate upgrade or if he can schedule the upgrade for later. Tom may want to consider the following before using this feature: How do I connect to the Internet through my corporate firewall/proxy? Would I want to be notified of updates every time IT Assistant detects a new package on the Dell website? How do I schedule the update? Would it make a difference when I schedule updates for download? How do I determine which updates would be applicable to the systems on my network? When IT Assistant detects new updates, should it only download the updates (without importing them into the IT Assistant Repository) or should it also download and import them automatically into the IT Assistant Repository?
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Synchronizing IT Assistant With the Dell Website

NOTE: This feature requires at least one of the communication protocolsHTTP or FTPto be supported in your network. To synchronize IT Assistant with Dell website, Tom performs the following steps: 1 Right-clicks Online Repository and selects Configure Online Synchronization. 2 In the Connection Settings screen, Tom selects ftp.dell.com as the Download Site and provides the ftp protocol as the connection parameter. Tom could select the HTTP protocol as well, if his corporate firewall blocked FTP downloads. Based on the corporate setup in his enterprise, Tom may be required to configure a proxy. He configures the proxy by providing the Address and Port number in the Proxy Server section. He also provide the appropriate username and password. If Toms proxy works without authentication, he would leave these fields blank. Tom clicks Test Connectivity to validate if IT Assistant can successfully download the required contents from the Dell website. For testing the connectivity, IT Assistant uses the specified parameters to connect and download the latest catalog available on the Dell website. IT Assistant uses the same parameters for all subsequent synchronization sessions. NOTE: The connectivity test can fail because of multiple reasons, including
proxy authentication failure, incorrect protocol, incorrect proxy port, network failure, a firewall blocking the communication, and so on.
3 In the Package Selection Criteria screen, Tom can select one of the following options: Select the packages/bundles that apply to devices in my network (Recommended). This is the recommended option as Tom will not need to specify details such as, operating systems, system models, and so on for all the systems. Select only the packages/bundles that meet the below criteria. This option allows Tom to specify the components, operating systems, and systems that he wants IT Assistant to include in the online update operation.
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NOTE: Tom must select at least one component from All Components, All
Operating Systems, and All Systems on his network. If he does not do this, no package or bundle will be considered for auto-download during online synchronization. However, he may still import them later from the IT Assistant user interface.
Tom selects: All Components All Operating Systems Dell PowerEdge x7xx, x8xx, and x9xx systems on his network
After choosing one of the above selections, Tom clicks Update Catalog Now.... This updates the catalog stored in the IT Assistant Repository to the most recent components available on the Dell website. 4 In the Select Schedule screen, Tom could choose to synchronize with the Dell website now, or he could set a schedule. He selects a monthly schedule and clicks Next. NOTE: Tom does not select a daily or weekly schedule because he knows
that the updates typically do not happen very frequently on the Dell website. Also, a daily schedule would increase network usage, system resources, and Internet charges. network bandwidth and increases CPU and memory usage during each synchronization. Hence, it is recommended that online synchronization be scheduled during off-peak hours.
NOTE: The automatic download is a resource-intensive task that consumes
5 In the Notification and Auto-Download Settings screen:

a
Tom selects Enable E-mail Notification and specifies his e-mail address in the E-mail Address field. NOTE: If Tom configures the E-mail Notification feature of software Web
updates, IT Assistant will notify him during the next synchronization cycle if there is a new update package available at ftp.dell.com.
NOTE: Selecting this option sends e-mail notifications with information on the new packages, to configured users. Tom can select a mailing list of administrators, or he could enter e-mail address of multiple users separated by commas or semi-colons. NOTE: The e-mail notification is in addition to the user interface notification.
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Tom can select Download automatically when updates are available. This will cause automatic download of new packages to a cache maintained by IT Assistant. NOTE: After the synchronization, Tom can identify the packages and bundles
that were downloaded and those that were not downloaded, by their different icons under the Online Repository. verifying the digital signature and discards all packages that fail digital signature verification.
NOTE: IT Assistant ensures the integrity of all downloaded packages by
Tom can also select Auto-import. This option causes the updates to be automatically imported to the IT Assistant Repository during synchronization. However, Tom may choose to ignore this option if he does not want to get content into the IT Assistant Repository without his intervention/knowledge.
c
Tom wants to see which systems on his network are compliant with the latest update packages, or he may want to know if there is a major update that affects most of his systems, such as a BIOS upgrade. Therefore, he also selects Include compliance report for every downloaded component in the E-mail. NOTE: If Tom does not select this option, the e-mail will not contain the
compliance report of the update packages. However, he can still view the compliance report in the Compliance tab. For more information, see "Viewing Compliance Report for Downloaded Update Packages/Bundles" on page 151. network bandwidth and increases CPU and memory usage. Hence, online synchronization must be scheduled during off-peak hours.
NOTE: Compliance reporting is a resource-intensive task that consumes
6 The Summary screen shows Toms selections. He clicks Finish to accept, or Back to make changes.
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Software Updates
When Tom clicks Finish, IT Assistant does the following: Synchronizes with ftp.dell.com as per the schedule he set in step 4. IT Assistant maintains the current (n) and the immediate predecessor (n1) versions of the catalog in the repository. IT Assistant downloads the catalog and compares the last-known catalog (n-1) present in the IT Assistant Repository. Tom can view the comparison between the two versions in the Online Repository Comparison tab in the user interface. A report can also be included in the e-mail if Tom selected the option. Extracts the latest contents from the catalog Deletes packages for which the MD5 hash has changed. NOTE: IT Assistant checks if two packages are the same using the algorithm
supplied by the Product Development Kit (PDK), as well as the MD5 hash of the package. Only if both criteria match, IT Assistant confirms that the packages are same.
Comparing the Update Packages in the Repositories With Those On the Dell Website
Tom wants to compare the update packages in cache with the update packages in the repositories. Tom can compare the update packages by: Comparing two repositories Comparing the contents of two catalogs
Comparing Two Repositories
Tom performs the following steps: 1 From the Software Update Repositories tree, Tom selects Online Repository. 2 In the right-hand side pane, he selects the Repository Comparison tab. 3 In the Select Target Repository field, he can select the IT Assistant Repository or click Open New Repository to open the Server Updates media to view the available update packages. 4 He clicks Compare. IT Assistant compares the two selected repositories and provides status and version information as a result of the comparison.
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Comparing Contents of Two Catalogs
Tom can compare the result of two online synchronizations. He performs the following steps: 1 From the Software Update Repositories tree, Tom selects Online Repository. 2 In the right-hand side pane, he selects the Online Repository Comparison tab. NOTE: To be able to view contents in this tab, Tom should have performed
online synchronization.
IT Assistant compares the catalogs and provides status and version information. After comparing, Tom can decide if he wants to import the contents into the IT Assistant Repository. Tom can Filter to view the comparison results. This enables him to view a subset of the results, especially: since the number of packages in the Online Repository maybe large or he only wants to see the comparison of packages/bundles that he is interested in Components, such as the Baseboard Management Controller, Remote Access Controller, and so on. Operating systems Systems A combination of any of the above NOTE: Any filtering criteria only changes the view in the Comparison Results tab; it does not affect the actual contents or downloaded packages and bundles in the repositories. NOTE: The filter settings are only retained within the active browser session. He can then click Import to import the packages or bundles to the IT Assistant Repository tree.
Tom can filter based on:
Or he could click Show All to remove all filtering criteria.
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Importing Packages From the Online Repository

To apply update packages to his systems, Tom should first import the update packages in the IT Assistant Repository. Tom can import packages/bundles in the following ways. Auto-import during online synchronization Manual import from the Repository Comparison or Online Repository Comparison tabs From the Online Repository To import packages/bundles from the Online Repository, Tom performs the following steps: He expands the Online Repository. He right-clicks the package he wants to import, and selects Import....
The packages/bundles that are not imported in the cache, but referred to in the cache, are indicated by special icons. The icons for downloaded packages/bundles are same as those in IT Assistant /Server Updates media repositories. Before importing update packages, IT Assistant first checks for the availability of the packages in the cache maintained on the management station. If the package is available, IT Assistant imports the package from the cache into the IT Assistant Repository. If the package is not available in the cache, IT Assistant downloads the package from the Dell FTP site at ftp.dell.com and imports it into the IT Assistant Repository.
Viewing Compliance Report for Downloaded Update Packages/Bundles

After downloading the update packages, Tom wants to determine if the devices on his network comply with the update packages he downloaded, as well as check the devices that the update packages can be applied to. Tom can do this by clicking the downloaded packages in the IT Assistant Repository and selecting the Compliance tab that is displayed in the right hand side pane. This tab displays the device selection pane from which Tom can select a specific group of devices (or even a query for the devices) that he wants to include in the compliance report. NOTE: For the Online Repository, the Compliance tab is available only for packages/bundles that are downloaded to the cache.
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Starting with IT Assistant 8.2 and later, Tom can retrieve a compliance report by selecting Tools Compliance Tool. Tom can click Open or Save from the File Download dialog box to either save the file to a location of his choice or to view the report as a Microsoft Excel file. For more information on selecting the devices, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help. Clicking Compare performs the comparison and generates the compliance report. The report provides the following information: An iconic representation of the differences found (!) Name of the package or object The devices version (the device version is the version associated with the device component) The repository packages version (the repository package version is the version associated with the Update Package or System Update Set that Tom specified for the comparison.)
Clicking Update starts the Software Update task. For more information on Software Update Tasks, see the "Using Software Updates" on page 168. NOTE: The Update option is disabled in the Online Repository. Import the package to the IT Assistant Repository to enable the Update option. The Compliance tab displays only for the imported packages in the IT Assistant Repository and the downloaded packages in the Online Repository. NOTE: Compliance reporting is a resource-intensive task that consumes network bandwidth and increases CPU and memory usage. Hence, Tom schedules this task during off-peak hours.
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Using Software Updates in IT Assistant

Let us look at how Jane might use this feature in her enterprise. Jane has a small-to-medium size business (50 servers, plus over 200 client systems). She does not have network bandwidth for large downloads. Instead, she chooses to get the update packages periodically using the Server Updates media.
Using the Server Updates Media

To use the Dell Update Packages from within IT Assistant, Jane performs the following steps: 1 Inserts the Server Updates media into the media drive 2 On the IT Assistant UI, Jane navigates to ManageSoftware Updates. 3 Right-clicks the root node (Software Update Repositories) and selects Open Repository (Update CD). 4 Navigates to the DVD location and locates the repository directory. 5 Selects catalog.xml and clicks Open. The contents of the Server Updates media will be displayed on the IT Assistant user interface. Jane can then perform operations such as importing packages, performing compliance checks, and performing software updates. Jane sometimes manually downloads individual update packages from the Dell FTP site at ftp.dell.com. She knows that some of her systems need the firmware upgrade that the update package contains, but she wants to determine which ones without manually checking each of her 50 servers. She can use IT Assistant to quickly find out. Here is how she would find out how many systems need an update: 1 Selects ManageSoftware Updates from the menu bar. 2 Right-clicks IT Assistant Repository in the left navigation pane and chooses Add. Jane navigates to the location on her system where she downloaded the Update Package. When she selects the package and clicks Open, the selected package is added to the repository tree as a child node of the IT Assistant Repository.
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3 Clicks the Update Package name in the left-hand pane to view a summary of its contents in the right hand pane. 4 Clicks the Compliance tab, then selects a specific group of devices (or a query) against which she wants to check the package. NOTE: Starting with IT Assistant 8.2, Jane can retrieve a compliance report
by selecting Tools Compliance Tool. She can click Open or Save from the File Download dialog box to either save the file to a location of her choice or to view the report as a Microsoft Excel file.
5 Clicks Compare to check the devices she selected against the contents of the update package. IT Assistant performs a comparison and generates a compliance report that shows a graphical presentation of the differences, full version information on the selected devices, and other information that can help identify non-compliant systems or devices. Jane can use the compliance report to find which systems on her network are compliant, and accordingly run update packages on those systems. Or she may just want to keep a record of what update packages were available in a quarter/year. 6 If IT Assistant finds systems or devices that need updating, Jane can select the devices she wants to update and click the Update button. This action automatically starts the Software Updates task wizard. For more information on the software updates task, see "Using Software Updates" on page 168. NOTE: Jane cannot apply updates on the system running IT Assistant. To apply updates on this system, she should run the software updates from another system.
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Software Update Using Unified Server Configurator (USC) DUPs

The Dell Unified Server Configurator (USC) is a pre-installed configuration utility that enables systems and storage management tasks from an embedded environment throughout the servers lifecycle. Residing on the embedded flash storage space, the USC is similar to a BIOS utility in that it can be started during the boot sequence and can function independently of the operating system. Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) and USC together provide an environment for Bare Metal Deployment (BMD). DUPs support update of platform firmware in the UEFI environment to enable BMD. For more information, see Dell Update Packages for Linux Operating Systems Users Guide and Dell Update Packages for Microsoft Windows Operating Systems Users Guide available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals. In addition to BIOS, firmware, and drivers update packages, the SUU media and ftp.dell.com will also have the following USC DUPs: USC DUPs: Contain latest pre-operating system provisioning software. These offer better functionality and more flexibility. Driver Packs: Contain latest driver packs. These offer better support for new devices. Diagnostics: Contain latest diagnostics packages. These allow for better system monitoring.
Earlier versions of IT Assistant supported BIOS, firmware, and driver updates on Dell PowerEdge systems. Starting with IT Assistant 8.5, in addition to these package updates, IT Assistant can also be used to apply the USC DUPs to the Dell PowerEdge systems.
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Managing Tasks
IT Assistant allows you to remotely run certain tasks on managed systems across the enterprise. These tasks include: Generic command line execution (the ability to invoke the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator command line interface remotely is also supported, if Dell OpenManage 4.3 or later instrumentation is enabled) Device control, including shutdown and wake up Scheduled software updates Ability to execute Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) commands remotely Ability to execute Remote Client Instrumentation commands remotely NOTE: IPMI and Remote Client Instrumentation command line options may
not be available if IT Assistant does not detect the necessary components (Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) Utilities and OpenManage Client Connector respectively) installed on the IT Assistant Services Tier.
Ability to deploy the Dell agent (Server Administrator) on supported Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems Ability to monitor the performance of a group of discovered devices with supported Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems over a period of time. Ability to export and import task configuration information from one management station to another
These tasks can be configured to run on specific schedules or execute immediately. For more information, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help. NOTE: For Linux systems, you must install IT Assistant 8.7 to use Remote Server Administrator Command Line or perform Software Updates. You cannot use previous versions of IT Assistant (version 8.5 or earlier) installed on the management station with the latest version of Server Administrator (version 6.3) installed on a managed system.
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NOTE: If you are running the software deploy task across a wide area network (WAN), the task could fail if the network does not have sufficient bandwidth. However, if you want to perform this task across WAN locations, it is recommended that you install IT Assistant locally on a system at the remote location, have the update package/installers available locally on the IT Assistant system and access the IT Assistant through Remote Desktop to that system.
Creating a Command Line Task

The Command Line tasks allow you to execute commands on your management station. IT Assistant displays different screens on the wizard depending on the tasks you choose. IT Assistant also displays different options depending on the hardware (BMC) or the software component (OpenManage Client Connector or BMC Utilities) that it detects on your management station. For example, if you have installed the BMC Utilities on your management station, then the wizard for creating the command Line task will display the IPMI Command Line in the Task Type pull-down menu. To create a Command Line task, perform the following steps: 1 Select ManageTasks and right-click Command Line in the left navigation pane. 2 Select New Task. The Task Creation wizard appears. 3 Enter a Task Name, then choose the task type from the Task Type pull-down menu and click Next. 4 In the Task Executable Specification window, enter the command executable and the arguments, and click Next. For more information, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help. 5 In the Device Selection window, select the devices/groups on which you want to run the command line task or provide a query. NOTE: This window is available only if you have chosen $IP or $NAME as
arguments in the Task Executable Specification window.
6 Under Select Schedule, you can either schedule the task to run at a specified time, or run the task immediately.
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Managing Tasks
7 If you are rebooting an SNMP-enabled system, enter the instrumentation user name and password in the Enter Credentials window. If your system is CIM-enabled, enter the fully-qualified domain user name and password. 8 Confirm your selections in the Summary window, or choose Back to make changes.
Tasks Available in Command Line

Generic Command Line
Choosing Generic Command Line from the pull-down menu allows you to execute commands from within your network. NOTE: For Generic Command Line tasks, programs will run on a background command shell instance on the IT Assistant system itself.
Remote Server Administrator Command Line
Remote Server Administrator Command Line allows you to execute Server Administrator command line interface (CLI) commands remotely. For a full list of the arguments accepted by IT Assistant, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help.
IPMI Command Line
Choosing IPMI Command Line from the pull-down menu allows you to execute IPMI commands. For more information, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help.
Remote Client Instrumentation Command Line
Choosing Remote Client Instrumentation Command Line allows you to execute client instrumentation commands remotely including sideband interface management. You can view this option only if you have Dell OpenManage Client Connector (OMCC) installed on your management station.
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Creating a Device Control Task

A device control task helps you to power control a system through IT Assistant. To perform these tasks in IT Assistant, perform the following steps: 1 Select ManageTasks and right-click Device Control in the left navigation pane. 2 Select New Task. The Task Creation wizard appears. 3 Enter a Task Name, then choose, for example, Shutdown Device from the Task Type pull-down menu and click Next. 4 From the Select Shutdown Type window, choose:
a b
Reboot to reboot a troublesome server that may have issued several e-mail alerts Power Cycle (if supported). This option performs a power cycle when IT Assistant communicates to the system through Dell instrumentation using the SNMP. The power to the device is turned off and turned on again after a pause. When the power is restored, the device is restarted. NOTE: Power Cycle is not supported on client devices. Power Off to power down the system. Shutdown Operating System first. This option performs a graceful shutdown of the operating system before performing the selected shutdown action. NOTE: Shutdown Operating System first will not display for ASF-enabled devices.
c d
5 In the Enter Credentials window, enter the authentication parameters required for out-of-band access to ASF-enabled devices 6 In the Device Selection window, select the devices/groups on which you want to run the command line task or provide a query. 7 Under Select Schedule, you can either schedule the task to run at a specified time, or run the task immediately.
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8 Confirm your selections in the Summary window, or choose Back to make changes.
Tasks Available in Device Control Task

Shutdown Device (via in-band)
Choosing Shutdown Device(via in-band) allows you to specify the shutdown operation that you want to perform. NOTE: This task requires CIM or SNMP discovery to be enabled, or Server Administrator to be installed on the managed node. NOTE: The shutdown task is not supported for devices discovered using IPMI only.
Wake Up Device (via WakeOnLAN)
Choosing Wake Up Device(via WakeOnLAN) allows you to specify the port number of the device that you want to wake up. To wake up a device, IT Assistant uses the MAC addresses and subnet mask that were discovered for that device. If NIC teaming is configured on the device, only one MAC is advertised by the operating system. For Wake-on-LAN (WOL) to work, WOL must be enabled for all NICs in that team. For a WOL packet to reach its intended destination, directed broadcasting (also known as subnet broadcasting) must be enabled on the intermediate routers. Directed broadcasting is typically disabled on the routers, so you must configure this feature on the routers to enable it. NOTE: Enable the WOL property in the NIC settings and the system BIOS. NOTE: WakeOnLAN (WOL) is recommended to be run against client devices.
Power Control Device(via ASF)
Choosing Power Control Device(via ASF) allows you to perform remote power control operations on the Alert Standard Format (ASF) 2.0 compliant devices. NOTE: See the system documentation for ASF configuration and setup instructions. NOTE: IT Assistant uses the in-band Broadcom Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) provider to verify if a device has ASF capabilities.
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IT Assistant also uses the in-band Broadcom WMI provider to detect if a device is enabled for remote secure Remote Management Control Packets (RMCP) operations and whether the administrator roles have sufficient privileges to perform power control operations. NOTE: You can configure the power control operations through the Broadcom ASF Configuration Utility. NOTE: Verify that ASF Enabled, Remote Management, and Secure Management (ASF 2.0) options are enabled in the Broadcom ASF Configuration Utility. Also ensure that the Authentication Key and the KG Key are entered in the correct format (Hex or ASCII). The WMI provider is available as part of the Broadcom ASF Management suiteavailable on the Dell Support website at support.dell.comand must be installed on the remote client device. You can select the devices that are detected as being enabled, in the device selection pane of the ASF power control wizard. If the remote device does not have the WMI provider installed, is not enabled for remote secure RMCP operations, or if the administrator privileges have not been configured for the power control operation correctly, the device will appear disabled in IT Assistant. NOTE: You can select the disabled devices, if you select the Enable All option. If the settings are altered, rediscover the device. This allows IT Assistant to use the updated configuration to enable/disable the client devices in the wizard.
Using Server Software Deployment

IT Assistant provides an integrated method to install Dell OpenManage Server Administrator on supported Dell systems. Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Web Server and Server Instrumentation are now separately installable components. Earlier versions of IT Assistant supported only Server Administrator deployment. Starting with IT Assistant 8.5, you can selectively deploy Server Instrumentation or Server Administrator Web Server or both based on the scenarios described below. Also, Server Administrator Web Server component can be installed on both server and non-server systems (laptops, desktops, and workstations).
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Managing Tasks
Installation Scenarios
Based on the option selected at installation time, you can either install Server Administrator Web Server, Server Instrumentation or both, on Windows and Linux.
Table 9-1. Installation Scenarios Component Installation Server Administrator Instrumentation only Linux Attribute Windows Parameter ADDLOCAL=IWS ADDLOCAL=SSA ADDLOCAL=IWS,SSA -d
Server Administrator Web Server only -w
Server Administrator Web Server and -w -d Server Instrumentation
Upgrade Scenarios
Based on your existing installation from previous Dell OpenManage versions and the option selected during upgrade, you can upgrade Server Administrator Web Server, Server Instrumentation, or both selectively.
Table 9-2. Upgrade Scenarios Previous Installation
No components are installed
No Parameters ADDLOCAL=IWS Passed (Windows Only)

Installs all components Only Server Administrator Web Server component is installed. Uninstalls Server Instrumentation and installs Server Administrator Web Server.
ADDLOCAL = Linux SSA (Windows Only)

Only Server Instrumentation is installed. Installation is based on options selected.
Server Instrumentation installation
On Windows and Linux will upgrade Server Instrumentation only.
Upgrades Server Upgrades Instrumentation. only previously installed components. Uninstalls Server Administrator Web Server and installs Server Instrumentation. Upgrades only previously installed components.
Server Administrator Web Server installation
On Windows and Server Administrator Linux will Web Server will be upgrade Server upgraded. Administrator Web Server only.
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Table 9-2. Upgrade Scenarios (continued) Previous Installation

Server Administrator Web Server and Server Instrumentation
No Parameters ADDLOCAL=IWS Passed (Windows Only)

Upgrades both Server Administrator Web Server and Server Instrumentation. Uninstalls Server Instrumentation and upgrades only Server Administrator Web Server.
ADDLOCAL = Linux SSA (Windows Only)

Uninstalls Server Administrator Web Server and upgrades only Server Instrumentation. Upgrades only previously installed components.
NOTE: In the system where you run the IT Assistant user interface from, the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) should have at least 256 MB of free space for the JRE memory (heap memory). This memory requirement is recommended for IT Assistant to download the MSI file that contains the Dell agent. The MSI file size is typically in the range of 6064 MB. Using IT Assistant, if you are installing or upgrading Server Administrator using Web packs, ensure that you have set the required size for the /tmp directory on the managed system. The exact size required depends on the Web pack you need to use. For information about size requirement, see the download page at support.dell.com corresponding for that Web pack. To successfully upload the Web pack to IT Assistant: Ensure that you increase the Request Timeout value to 600 seconds under ToolsUser Preferences Connections tab.
Setting the Java Runtime Parameter in Supported Windows Environment

1 Click the Start button. Point to SettingsControl Panel Java. 2 In the Java tab, click View in the Java Applet Runtime Settings section. 3 Set Java Runtime Parameters to -Xmx256M -Djava.net.preferIPv6Address=true
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Managing Tasks
Setting the Java Runtime Parameter in Supported Linux Environment

1 Navigate to the Java home directory. The default path is /usr/java/jre1.6.0_11/bin/. 2 Run ./ControlPanel. 3 In the Java tab, click View in the Java Applet Runtime Settings section. 4 Set Java Runtime Parameters to -Xmx256M -Djava.net.preferIPv6Address=true
Installing the Dell Agent on a Remote Managed System

If you are managing a corporate network using IT Assistant, you can install the latest Dell OpenManage Server Administrator on multiple systems in the environment. These systems may or may not have Server Administrator previously installed on them. Obtain a Server Administrator .msi file for Windows or the .tar.gz for Linux from one of the following sources: Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD Dell Support website at support.dell.com
Obtain a Server Administrator .msp file for Windows or the .tar.gz for Linux from one of the following sources: Dell Server Updates DVD or the Dell PowerEdge Server Update Utility CD Dell Support website at support.dell.com
For installing Dell Agent on a Linux system, ensure that you choose the specific Web pack for that Linux distribution. Use the task management feature in IT Assistant to create a Software Agent Deployment task to schedule the deployment of Server Administrator on multiple systems on the network. After Server Administrator is installed, the new status will display: Only if you forcibly discover, inventory, or do a manual status poll. After the next scheduled discovery, inventory, or status poll. NOTE: The protocol configuration settings for inventory must be specified for the device during initial device detection and the corresponding services must be running on the device.
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165
Creating a Software Deployment Task

1 Select ManageTasks from the menu bar. 2 Under the Task parent node, right-click Software Deployment and select New Task.... The New Task Wizard appears. 3 Under Task Creation, enter a descriptive name for the task and select the Server Administrator Deploy / Upgrade task for Windows or Linux. Click Next. 4 Under Task Installer Specification, specify the Installation File Path. NOTE: The .msi file will install the entire management station application on
the managed system; whereas the .msp file contains the delta for the upgrade across minor or patch release for Windows. The .tar.gz, on the other hand, contains the upgrade across both major and minor versions for Linux.
The option of choosing between MSI and MSP should be based on the optimal use of network bandwidth versus an update action that successfully updates all devices configured in the task. The MSP, usually, being much smaller in size, would be the preferred way for conserving network bandwidth. However, the pre-requisite for MSP is the last preceding major version (OpenManage version 5.5). The pre-requisite for MSI is much less (currently, OpenManage version 4.3). NOTE: Look for the SysMgmt.msi on the media that has the Dell OpenManage
Server Administrator application.
NOTE: Ensure that you select only the Dell OpenManage version 5.0 or later
SysMgmt.msi file. The .msi files of earlier versions of Dell OpenManage are not supported by IT Assistant 8.1 and later. You can check the version of Server Administrator by right-clicking the SysMgmt.msi file and selecting Properties. The Server Administrator version is displayed in the Summary tab.
NOTE: Ensure that there is sufficient free space (at least 130 MB) on the
management station for creating the task. The managed node should have about 130 MB of free space in %SYSTEMDRIVE% or the drive where the operating system is installed. information on this parameter and the arguments you use with it, see the Dell
NOTE: This feature supports only ADDLOCAL parameter. For more

OpenManage Installation and Security Users Guide.
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Managing Tasks
It is recommended that you select Upgrade Installer Engine on target node (if required). This option ensures that the latest version of msiexec is installed on the managed systems. If you do not select this option, and the managed systems do not have the required version, and an error message is displayed. NOTE: This option fails if the required upgrade engine files (.exe and .bat) are
not found in the same folder as the Systems Management installer (.msi). If you deleted these files, go to ftp.dell.com and download them to the SystemsManagement folder.
5 Under Device Selection, select the appropriate systems on which Server Administrator is to be deployed. NOTE: IT Assistant performs prerequisite checks at the time of task execution
and execution details can be viewed in the Task Execution Details pane. If the task execution fails, correct the error (for example, inadequate disk space) and run the task again. For more information, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help.
6 Under Select Schedule, you can either schedule the task to run at a specified time, or run the task immediately. 7 Under Enter Credentials, enter your operating system credentials. 8 View and verify your selections in Summary. 9 Click Finish to accept your selection, or Back to make changes. NOTE: At this point, the files will be uploaded to the IT Assistant Repository.
This process may take a few minutes.
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167
Using Software Updates

You can use ManageTasksSoftware Updates to update systems or devices with latest update packages or bundles acquired from the Dell Server Updates DVD, or from the online synchronization with the Dell Support Website at support.dell.com. NOTE: Before creating the task, you must import update packages and bundles to the IT Assistant Repository. For more information, see "Importing Packages From the Online Repository" on page 151.
Creating a Software Update Task

NOTE: Before creating a software update task, you must have already begun to manage your repositories. If you have not done this, go to Manage Software Updates and open the target repository to import the update packages or bundles that you require. For more information, see "Using Software Updates in IT Assistant" on page 153. To create a software update task, perform the following steps: 1 Select ManageTasks from the menu bar. 2 Under the Task parent node, right-click Software Update and select New Task.... The New Task Wizard appears. NOTE: It is recommended that you run a device compliance report, and then
create the software update task based on that report. For more information on creating the compliance report, see "Viewing Compliance Report for Downloaded Update Packages/Bundles" on page 151.
3 In the Repository Contents window, select a package or bundle for the update. 4 In the Select Options window, select the appropriate options. NOTE: For security reasons, it is recommended to use SSH version 2, or later
on the managed system.
5 Under Device Selection, select the devices on which the update packages or bundles need to be deployed. 6 Under Select Schedule, you can either schedule the task to run at a specified time, or run the task immediately.
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Managing Tasks
7 Confirm your selections in the Summary window, or choose Back to make changes. The software update packages are applied to the selected devices at the scheduled time.
Exporting and Importing Tasks

The export/import feature allows you to export the task configuration information for the selected tasks in IT Assistant to an XML file. You can import this file to a new network environment where IT Assistant is installed, instead of recreating and reconfiguring the tasks. NOTE: This feature is limited to Command Line tasks only. Let us assume that Tom has created 10 command line tasks, out of which five tasks are of interest to Jane. Instead of reconfiguring the five tasks, Tom can export the five tasks to an XML file and send it to Jane through e-mail. Jane can then import these tasks directly into IT Assistant, without having to manually configure the tasks again.
Exporting Tasks
1 Select ManageTasks. 2 Expand the Command Line task. NOTE: You should have created some command line tasks. 3 Select the command line tasks you want export, right-click and select Export Tasks. 4 Enter the file name in the File Save As dialog box to save the task configuration information. NOTE: All task information, except the device selection and user credential
information, is exported.
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Reporting
Dell OpenManage IT Assistant provides the ability to: Generate ready-made reports using the Reports Wizard.
10
Create customized reports for all systems in your enterprise. Create software compliance reports.
The basics of these capabilities are shown here using the same user scenarios presented in "Configuring Dell OpenManage IT Assistant to Monitor Your Systems" on page 85. For more detailed information on these topics, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help.
Ready-made Reports
IT Assistant provides several pre-defined reports you can use immediately. These reports will be displayed in the left portion of the Reports window. Click the report name to see a summary of the information the report is designed to gather. Table 10-1 describes the various ready-made reports available with IT Assistant. For more information on the individual reports, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help.
Table 10-1. Ready-made Reports Description Returns Controller information for Dell/EMC Storage Arrays Returns Enclosure information for Dell/EMC Storage Arrays Returns Device Card data for servers Returns Memory information for servers. Returns Controller information for PowerVault MD Storage Arrays.
Type of Report Dell/EMC Array Controller Report Dell/EMC Enclosure report Device Card/Embedded Device Report Memory Report PowerVault MD Array Controller Report
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Table 10-1. Ready-made Reports (continued) Type of Report Description
PowerVault MD Array Report Returns Array information for PowerVault MD Storage Arrays. Printer Low Toner Report Software Inventory Report Tape Report Virtual Machine Report Volume Info Report Microsoft Virtual Machine Report Returns all Printers with toner levels at or below 20% of capacity. Returns Software Inventory data for servers. Returns the Library and drive information for Tape Devices. Returns Virtual Machine information. Returns Storage Volume information for servers. Returns information on Microsoft hypervisor.
Custom Reporting
IT Assistant uses data from the Microsoft SQL Server database to create customized reports. These reports are based on data gathered during discovery and inventory cycles. The devices or groups that you select to include in your report correspond to fields in the IT Assistant database. When you execute a report, a database query is created. The following figure provides an example.
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Figure 10-1. Custom Reporting in IT Assistant
Device
Server
1 8
PCI Cards
NIC Device Cards Contact Info Memory Devices ...
Memory DIMMs For example, you can compile a report containing: Details of the hardware devices being managed by IT Assistant, including servers, switches, and storage devices BIOS, firmware, and driver versions contained on specific devices Other asset or cost of ownership details
You can specify different output formats for any report, such as HTML, XML, or CSV (comma-separated values). Any customized report template you create can be saved and used later.
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Creating a New Report

To illustrate IT Assistants report capabilities, let us take another look at Janes enterprise. Among her group of managed systems, she has 50 Dell servers. However, she is not sure of the type of network interface card installed on her servers. She can answer that question quickly by using IT Assistants reporting tool: From IT Assistant, Jane will: 1 Select ViewsReports, then right-click All Reports in the left navigation pane. 2 Choose New Report. The Add Report wizard starts. She then specifies the following: A Name for her report, not to exceed 64 characters An optional Description
Click Next. 3 In the Select Devices dialog box, Jane chooses Select devices/groups from the tree below, then Servers from the available devices list. NOTE: Selecting the top-level attribute in the device list automatically selects
all of the attributes below it. Expanding the attributes in the tree allows you to select the specific attributes that you want to include. A check mark with a gray background for the group selection indicates that you have made individual selections within the group. A check mark with a white background indicates that you have selected the entire group. Consequently, as the group membership changes, the selection is applicable to the modified group members.
Click Next. 4 Under Select Attributes, she chooses NIC. 5 She specifies a preferred Sort by order and clicks Next. 6 On the Summary page, she either accepts her choices or goes back and changes them. This creates a new report with the name Jane specified in step 2. When Jane has confirmed her configuration, she goes to the reports window in IT Assistant and right-clicks the report name she created and chooses ExecuteHTML Reports. 174
Reporting
An HTML format-based report showing NIC device information for each of the 50 systems in her enterprise is displayed.
Choosing a query-based report:

Jane could also opt for a query-based report. Instead of choosing Select devices/groups from the tree below in the report wizard, she could choose Select a query. Then, she can either select a query that she created earlier, or create a new query by clicking the New button. She can specify the parameters for a query report as shown in Table 10-2:
Table 10-2. Parameter Name of the Query Query Criteria Query Report Parameters Description Specifies the name of the query. Specifies the query criteria. For example, to create a new query with the query criteria for all devices that correspond to a subnet, specify: Where: IP Address Starts With 143.166.155 The query operators are: Contains Specifies that the query criteria string contain a certain set of characters. Ends With Specifies that the query criteria string ends with a certain set of characters. Is Specifies that the query criteria string exactly match these characters. Starts With Specifies that the query criteria string starts with these characters. You can expand the query with up to 10 subqueries, which together constitute the complete query. Join the subqueries by using AND/OR operators.
NOTE: If you make any changes while editing an

existing query and save that query, the original query is replaced.
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Table 10-2. Query Report Parameters (continued) Parameter Run Query to test a query before saving it. Save Query Cancel Description Runs the query and displays the results.
NOTE: You can click Run Query

Saves the query. Closes the Query Editor window without saving your input.
NOTE: If you want to run reports on RAC devices, and choose RAC type as one of the attributes to include in the report, the generated report lists numerical values in the RAC type column. These values are mapped as follows: 0 = Not Available 2 = DRAC II 8 = DRAC III/DRAC 4/DRAC5 12 = DRAC 5 16 = Dell OpenManage Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) 32 = iDRAC 48 = Dell Chassis Management Controller (CMC) 64 = BMC 80 = iDRAC6 96 = iDRAC6
Compliance Tool Report

IT Assistant provides an easy launch point on the user interface (UI) to generate a comprehensive compliance report for all systems being managed. This report provides an overall system compliance status for each managed system for BIOS, firmware and driver versions. To create a compliance tool report, perform the following steps: 1 Click Tools Compliance Tool. 2 Click Open or Save from the File Download dialog box to either save the file to a location of your choice or to view the report as a Microsoft Excel file.
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Reporting
Editing, Deleting, or Running Reports

Whichever type of report she creates, Jane can edit, delete, rename, or run it at any time by right clicking the report name in the Reports window.
IT Assistant Database Schema Information

IT Assistant gathers data that is stored in associated tables and is linked by the DeviceID, an internal identifier. The associated data is stored in the following tables. NOTE: The primary keys for the tables are marked with an asterisk (*).
Table 10-3. IT Assistant Database Schema Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed int 4 No Internal device identification used as a Foreign Key in all related tables. The name IT Assistant uses to identify the device, which is the name shown in the Device Tree in the user interface (UI). The name of the device retrieved from the MIB II SysName or CIM. Fully qualified name as returned by the DNS Server
Column Name Device Table DeviceId*
DeviceName
nvarchar 256
Yes
DeviceInstrumentationName
nvarchar 256
Yes
DeviceDNSName
nvarchar 256
Yes
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Table 10-3. IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Column Name DeviceType Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed int 4 Yes The type of device. Workstations = 3 Servers = 4 Desktops = 5 Portables = 6 Network Switches = 8 RACs = 9 KVMs = 10 Unknown = 2 or any value not listed The last time that IT Assistant collected inventory data from the device. The last time that IT Assistant collected the global health data from the device. The last time IT Assistant interrogated the system to determine what agents were present. Bitmask indicating what protocols the device supported. Bit 1 = SNMP Bit 4 = CIM Bit 8 = IPMI The protocol by which the remote device prefers to be managed. 1 = SNMP 2 = CIM
DeviceInventoryTime
datetime 8
Yes
DeviceStatusedTime
datetime 8
Yes
DeviceDiscoveredTime
datetime 8
Yes
DeviceProtocols
int
Yes
DevicePreferredProtocol
int
Yes
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Table 10-3.
IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 int 4 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes This attribute defines the devices asset tag. This attribute defines the devices service tag. The manufacturers ID for the system model. The manufacturers model name. The device location as retrieved from the remote agent. The Boolean flag indicating if the device has a Dell-enabled agent. The last discovery range that was used to discover the device. The Foreign Key (FK) to the Device Table. The name of the agent. The version of the agent. The manufacturer of the agent. A brief description of what the agent manages.
Column Name DeviceAssetTag DeviceServiceTag DeviceSystemId DeviceSystemModelType DeviceLocation
nvarchar 64 nvarchar 256
DellSystem
int
Yes
SubnetLastDiscoveredOn
nvarchar 256
Yes
Agent Table DeviceId* AgentName* AgentVersion AgentManufacturer AgentDescription int 4 No No Yes Yes Yes
nvarchar 256 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 256
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Table 10-3. IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Column Name AgentGlobalStatus Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed int 4 Yes The global status of the agent. Not Known = 0 Unknown = 2 Normal = 4 Warning = 8 Critical = 16 The time the agent was installed, if available.
AgentInstallTime
datetime 8
Yes
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Table 10-3.
IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed int 4 Yes Internal ID used to distinguish between agents. RAC Out-Of-Band Agent = 1 Server Administrator =2 Microsoft WMI =3 OMCI = 4 Physical Manager = 6 Storage Manager = 7 Dell PowerEdge1655MC Switch = 8 Dell PowerConnect 3248 = 9 PowerConnect 5224 = 10 PowerConnect 3024 = 11 PowerConnect 5012 = 12 PowerConnect 3048 = 13 PowerConnect 3000MIB = 14 KVM = 15 Inventory Agent = 16 RAC In-Band Agent = 17 The Web address of the management application (if the agent supports a Web-based access). Extended agent data; for internal use only. Reporting
Column Name AgentId
AgentURL
nvarchar 256
Yes
AgentData
ntext
16
Yes
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Table 10-3. IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Column Name Array Disk Table DeviceId* ArrayDiskMediaType int 4 No Yes The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The type of physical disk present on the system. The values are SSD for Solid State Drives, HDD for magnetic disk drives and N/A for information not available. The instance number of this array disk entry. The array disks name as represented in Storage Management. The array disk's (re)seller's name. The array disks model number. The array disk's unique identification number from the manufacturer. The array disks part number. The array disk's firmware version. The SCSI ID of the enclosure processor to which this array disk belongs. Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed
nvarchar 64
ArrayDiskNumber* ArrayDiskName
int
No Yes
nvarchar 256
ArrayDiskVendorName ArrayDiskModelNumber ArrayDiskSerialNumber
nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64
Yes Yes Yes
ArrayDiskPartNumber ArrayDiskRevision ArrayDiskEnclosureId
Yes Yes Yes
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Table 10-3.
IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed int int 4 4 Yes Yes The bus to which this array disk is connected. The array disk's size in gigabytes. If the size is 0, it is smaller than a gigabyte. The array disk's bus type. Possible values: SCSI, IDE, Fibre Channel, SSA, USB, and SATA. The SCSI target ID which this array disk is assigned. The durable unique ID for this array disk. The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The instance number of this controller entry. The name of the controller in this subsystem as represented in Storage Management. Includes the controller type and instance, for example: PERC 3/QC 1. The controller's reseller's name. The type of controller.
Column Name ArrayDiskChannel ArrayDiskLength
ArrayDiskBusType
nvarchar 64
Yes
ArrayDiskTargetId
int
Yes
ArrayDiskLUNId Controller Table DeviceId* ControllerNumber* ControllerName
int
Yes
int int
4 4
No No Yes
nvarchar 64
ControllerVendor ControllerType
Yes Yes
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Table 10-3. IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Column Name ControllerState Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed nvarchar 64 Yes The current condition of the controller's subsystem. The controller's status The controller's current firmware version. The controller's current amount of cache memory. The number of physical devices on the controller channel, including both disks and the controller. The number of virtual disks on the controller. Indicates the availability of the redundant controller in a redundant configuration. The amount of memory on the controller. The number of redundant controller drive channels. The number of charges that have been applied to the battery on this controller.
ControllerStatus ControllerFWVersion
int
Yes Yes
nvarchar 64
ControllerCacheSize
int
Yes
ControllerPhysicalDeviceCount int
Yes
ControllerLogicalDeviceCount int ControllerPartnerStatus
Yes Yes
nvarchar 64
ControllerMemorySize
int
Yes
ControllerDriveChannelCount int
Yes
ControllerChargeCount
int
Yes
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Table 10-3.
IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed nvarchar 64 Yes The currently installed driver version for this controller. The read cache size on controller A. The write cache size on controller A. The read cache size on controller B. The write cache size on controller B. The page cache size for the controller. The read cache policy on controller A. The write cache policy on controller A. The read cache policy on controller B. The write cache policy on controller B. The Foreign Key to the Device Table. This attribute defines the index (one based) of the PCI device. This attribute defines the slot number of the PCI device.
Column Name ControllerDriverVersion
ControllerSPAReadCacheSize
int
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
ControllerSPAWriteCacheSize int ControllerSPBReadCacheSize int
ControllerSPBWriteCacheSize int ControllerCachePageSize int
ControllerSPAReadCachePolicy nvarchar 64 ControllerSPAWriteCachePolicy nvarchar 64 ControllerSPBReadCachePolicy nvarchar 64 ControllerSPBWriteCachePolicy DeviceCard Table DeviceId DeviceCardIndex int int 4 4 nvarchar 64
No No
DeviceCardSlotNumber
int
Yes
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Table 10-3. IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Column Name DeviceCardManufacturer Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed nvarchar 64 Yes This attribute defines the name of the manufacturer of the PCI device. This attribute defines the description of the PCI device. This attribute defines the width of the data bus of the PCI device. This attribute defines the bus speed in MHz of the PCI device. Zero indicates the speed is unknown. This attribute defines the adapter speed of the PCI device. This attribute defines the slot length of the PCI device. The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The instance number of the enclosure entry. The part number of the enclosure entry. The serial number of the enclosure entry. The enclosure's name.
DeviceCardDescription
nvarchar 256
Yes
DeviceCardDataBuswidth
nvarchar 64
Yes
DeviceCardBusSpeed
int
Yes
DeviceCardAdapterSpeed
int
Yes
DeviceCardSlotLength
nvarchar 64
Yes
Enclosure Table DeviceId* EnclosureNumber* EnclosurePartNumber EnclosureSerialNumber EnclosureName int int 4 4 No No Yes Yes Yes
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Table 10-3.
IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed nvarchar 256 int 4 Yes Yes Yes Yes The enclosure's reseller's name. The SCSI address of the processor. The enclosures manufacture location. The enclosure identification used when consulting customer support. The user-definable asset tag for the enclosure. The user-definable asset name for the enclosure. The enclosure's product identification, which also corresponds to the enclosure type. The type of enclosure. The channel number, or bus, to which the enclosure is connected. The part number of the enclosure's backplane. The SCSI ID of the controller to which this enclosure is attached.
Column Name EnclosureVendor EnclosureId
EnclosureLocationofManufacture nvarchar 256 EnclosureServiceTag nvarchar 64
EnclosureAssetTag
nvarchar 64
Yes
EnclosureAssetName
nvarchar 64
Yes
EnclosureProductId
nvarchar 64
Yes
EnclosureType EnclosureChannelNumber
nvarchar 64 int 4
Yes Yes
EnclosureBackplanePartNum
nvarchar 64
Yes
EnclosureSCSIId
int
Yes
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Table 10-3. IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Column Name Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed int int 4 4 No No The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The instance number of the enclosure management module. The name of the enclosure. The management module reseller's name. The part number of the enclosure memory module. Firmware version of the enclosure memory module. The Foreign Key to the Device Table. Instance number of this virtual disk entry. The virtual disk's label generated by Storage Management or entered by the user. Device name used by this virtual disk's member disks. The size of this virtual disk in gigabytes.
Enclosure Management Module Table DeviceId* EMMNumber*
EMMName EMMVendor EMMPartNumber
Yes Yes Yes
EMMFWVersion
nvarchar 64
Yes
VirtualDisk Table DeviceId* VirtualDiskNumber* VirtualDiskName int int 4 4 No No Yes
nvarchar 256
VirtualDiskDeviceName
nvarchar 256
Yes
VirtualDiskLength
int
Yes
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Table 10-3.
IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed nvarchar 64 Yes Indicates whether the controller's write cache will be used when writing to a virtual disk. Indicates whether the controller's read cache will be used when reading from a virtual disk. The cache policy settings of the virtual disk. Indicates whether the controller's cache is used when reading from or writing to a virtual disk.
Column Name VirtualDiskWritePolicy
VirtualDiskReadPolicy
nvarchar 64
Yes
VirtualDiskCachePolicy
nvarchar 64
Yes
NOTE: Cache policy is not applicable for SAS controllers.

VirtualDiskLayout VirtualDiskStripeSize VirtualDiskStripeElementSize nvarchar 64 int int 4 4 Yes Yes Yes The virtual disk's RAID type. The stripe size of this virtual disk in bytes. The stripe element size of this virtual disk in blocks. Unique ID for the virtual disk. The durable unique LUN ID for this virtual disk.
VirtualDiskTargetId VirtualDiskLUNId
int
Yes Yes
nvarchar 64
Volume Table
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Table 10-3. IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Column Name DeviceId* VolumeNumber* VolumeDriveLetter Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed int int 4 4 No Yes Yes The Foreign Key to the Device Table. Instance number of the volume entry. The volume's path (or drive letter) according to the operating system. The user-definable label for this volume. The size of the volume in megabytes. The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The firmware chassis index (zero based). The firmware index (zero based). The firmware type. The name of the firmware. The firmware version. The Foreign Key to the Device Table. This attribute defines the index (one based) of the associated chassis.
nvarchar 64
VolumeLabel VolumeSize Firmware Table DeviceId* FirmwareChassisIndex* FirmwareIndex* FirmwareType FirmwareName FirmwareVersion MemoryDevice Table DeviceId* MemoryDeviceChassisIndex*
nvarchar 256 int 4
Yes Yes
int int int
4 4 4
No No No Yes Yes Yes No No
nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 int int 4 4
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Reporting
Table 10-3.
IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed int 4 No This attribute defines the index (one based) of the memory device. This attribute defines the location of the memory device. This attribute defines the location of the bank for the memory device. This attribute defines the type of the memory device. This attribute defines the form factor of the memory device. This attribute defines the size of the memory device. This attribute defines the failure mode of the memory device. The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The unique instance ID of the NIC. The IP address assigned to the NIC. The subnet mask assigned to the NIC.
Column Name MemoryDeviceIndex*
MemoryDeviceName
nvarchar 256
Yes
MemoryDeviceBankName
nvarchar 256
Yes
MemoryDeviceType
nvarchar 256
Yes
MemoryDeviceFormFactor
nvarchar 256
Yes
MemoryDeviceSize
int
Yes
MemoryDeviceFailureMode
nvarchar 256
Yes
NIC Table DeviceId* NICId* NICIPAddress NICNetmask int int 4 4 No No Yes Yes
Reporting
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Table 10-3. IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Column Name NICMACAddress NICManufacturer NICPingable Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed nvarchar 24 nvarchar 256 int 4 Yes Yes Yes The MAC address of the NIC. The reseller of the NIC. A flag indicating that IT Assistant communicates with the device using this IP address. The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The instance ID for the operating system. The name of the operating system. The revision of the operating system (for example, the Microsoft Windows service pack or the Linux kernel version) The total physical memory reported by the operating system in megabytes. The locale for the operating system. The type of operating system.
Operating System Table DeviceId* OSId* OSName OSRevision int int 4 4 No No Yes Yes
OSTotalPhysicalMemory
int
Yes
OSLocale OSType
nvarchar 64 int 4
Yes Yes
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Reporting
Table 10-3.
IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed int int 4 4 No No The Foreign Key to the Device Table. This attribute defines the index (one based) of the chassis. This attribute defines the index (one based) of the power supply. This attribute defines the type of the power supply. This attribute defines the location of the power supply. This attribute defines the maximum sustained output wattage of the power supply, in tenths of watts. This attribute defines the capability of the power supply monitor. The Foreign Key to the Device Table. This attribute defines the index (one based) of the chassis. This attribute defines the index (one based) of the processor. Reporting
Column Name PowerSupply Table DeviceId* PowerSupplyChassisIndex*
PowerSupplyIndex*
int
No
PowerSupplyType
nvarchar 256
Yes
PowerSupplyLocation
nvarchar 256
Yes
PowerSupplyOutputWatts
int
Yes
PowerSupplyMonitorCapable
nvarchar 64
Yes
Processor Table DeviceId* ProcessorChassisIndex* int int 4 4 No No
ProcessorIndex*
int
No
193
Table 10-3. IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Column Name ProcessorFamily Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed nvarchar 256 Yes This attribute defines the family of the processor device. This attribute defines the current speed of the processor device in MHz. Zero indicates that the current speed is unknown. This attribute defines the slot that the processor occupies. The Foreign Key to the Device Table. Defines the parallel port configuration. The mode of the parallel port. Defines the serial port 1 configuration. Defines the serial port 2 configuration. Defines whether the IDE controller is enabled or disabled. Defines whether the built-in NIC is enabled or disabled. Defines whether the built-in floppy disk controller is enabled, auto, or read-only.
ProcessorCurrentSpeed
int
Yes
ProcessorSlotNumber
int
Yes
SMBIOS Table DeviceId* ParallelPortConfiguration ParallelPortMode SerialPortYesConfiguration SerialPort2Configuration IDEController int 4 No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64
BuiltinNIC
nvarchar 64
Yes
BuiltinFloppy
nvarchar 64
Yes
194
Reporting
Table 10-3.
IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed nvarchar 64 Yes Defines whether the built-in pointing device (mouse) port is enabled or disabled. Defines whether WakeOn-LAN is disabled, enabled for on-board NIC only, or enabled for add-in NIC only. If Enabled with boot to NIC option is selected, the system boots from the NIC boot-ROM upon a remote wake up. Defines the Wake-OnLAN method supported by the system. Defines the auto-on configuration: disabled, every day or week days (MondayFriday). Defines the hour when the system is turned on (0-23). Defines the minutes when the system is turned on (0-59). Defines the boot sequence for the next system boot.
Column Name BuiltinPointingDevice
WakeupOnLAN
nvarchar 64
Yes
WakeupOnLANMethod
nvarchar 64
Yes
AutoOn
nvarchar 64
Yes
AutoOnHour
nvarchar 64
Yes
AutoOnMinute
nvarchar 64
Yes
BootSequence
nvarchar 64
Yes
Reporting
195
Table 10-3. IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Column Name ChassisIntrusionStatus Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed nvarchar 64 Yes Reports the status of the system with regard to Chassis Intrusion (Detected or Not Detected). A value of Unknown indicates either that chassis intrusion is not supported by this system, or that the chassis intrusion event reporting has been disabled by the user. If the value is Detected, you may set it to Not Detected to enable the system to receive the next event and to stop generating events for now. The status of the system's built-in sound device. The status of the system's add-on PCI slots (enabled/disabled). The status of the USB ports (on/off). The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The component identifier for the software.
IntegratedAudio
nvarchar 64
Yes
PCISlots
nvarchar 64
Yes
USBPorts SoftwareInventory Table DeviceId* ComponentId
nvarchar 64
Yes
int
No Yes
nvarchar 64
196
Reporting
Table 10-3.
IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed nvarchar 32 nvarchar 16 No Yes The instance identifier for the hardware. The hardware device identifier of the PCI ID. The hardware vendor identifier of the PCI ID. The hardware subdevice identifier of the PCI ID. The hardware subvendor identifier of the PCI ID. The subcomponent identifier for the hardware. The description of the hardware. The type of software, for example, driver (DRVR), firmware (FRMW), and so on. The software version number. The description of the software. The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The operating system vendor name.
Column Name InstanceId* HWDeviceId
HWVendorId
nvarchar 16
Yes
HWSubDeviceId
nvarchar 16
Yes
HWSubVendorId
nvarchar 16
Yes
SubComponentId
nvarchar 64
Yes
HWDescription SoftwareType
Yes Yes
SoftwareVersion SoftwareDescription SoftwareInventoryOS Table DeviceId* OSVendor
Yes Yes
int
No Yes
nvarchar 64
Reporting
197
Table 10-3. IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Column Name OSMajorVersion OSMinorVersion OSSPMajorVersion OSSPMinorVersion SwitchDevice Table DeviceId* SwitchIndex* SwitchAssetTag SwitchServiceTag SwitchSerialNumber CostOfOwnership Table DeviceId* CooIndex* PurchaseCost WayBillNumber InstallationDate int int 4 4 No No Yes Yes Yes The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The index of the cost of ownership. The initial purchase cost of the system. The way bill number. The date that the system was installed. int int 4 4 No No Yes Yes Yes The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The index of the switch. The asset tag of the switch. The service tag of the switch. The serial number of the switch. Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed nvarchar 16 nvarchar 16 nvarchar 16 nvarchar 16 Yes Yes Yes Yes The major version of the operating system. The minor version of the operating system. The Service Pack major version. The Service Pack minor version.
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Reporting
Table 10-3.
IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 Yes Yes Yes Yes The purchase order number. The date that the system was purchased. The signing authority reference. The original system configuration that was expensed. The original system configuration vendor name. The cost center information vendor name. The user name. The extended warranty start date. The extended warranty end date. The extended warranty cost. The extended warranty provider name. The ownership code. The owners name. The hazardous waste code name. The deployment date length.
Column Name PurchaseOrderNumber PurchaseDate SigningAuthorityName
OriginalMachineConfiguration nvarchar 64 Expensed OriginalMachineConfigurationV nvarchar 64 endorName CostCenterInformationVendor nvarchar 64 Name UserInformationUserName ExtendedWarrantyStartDate ExtendedWarrantyEndDate ExtendedWarrantyCost nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64
Yes
Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
ExtendedWarrantyProviderName nvarchar 64 OwnershipCode CorporateOwnerName HazardousWasteCodeName DeploymentDateLength nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64
Reporting
199
Table 10-3. IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Column Name Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes The deployment duration unit type. The training name. The outsourcing problem description. The outsourcing service fee. The outsourcing signing authority. The outsourcing provider fee. The outsourcing provider service level. The insurance companys name. The devices asset tag. The devices host name. The devices CPU serial number. The depreciation duration. The depreciation duration units. The depreciation percentage. The depreciation method. The registration is registered.
DeploymentDurationUnitType nvarchar 64 TrainingName nvarchar 64
OutsourcingProblemDescription nvarchar 64 OutsourcingServiceFee OutsourcingSigningAuthority OutsourcingProviderFee nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64
OutsourcingProviderServiceLevel nvarchar 64 InsuranceCompanyName BoxAssetTagName BoxSystemName BoxCPUSerialNumberName DepreciationDuration nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64
DepreciationDurationUnitType nvarchar 64 DepreciationPercentage DepreciationMethod RegistrationIsRegistered nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64
200
Reporting
Table 10-3.
IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed int 4 No No Yes Yes The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The contact name. The information for this contact. The description for this contact. The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The cluster index. The cluster type. The cluster type name. The cluster name. The cluster description. The device ID. The field replaceable unit (FRU) chassis index. The FRU index. The FRU device name. The FRU manufacturer name. The FRU serial number. The FRU part number.
Column Name ContactInfo Table DeviceId* ContactName* ContactInformation ContactDescription Cluster Table DeviceId* ClusterIndex* ClusterType ClusterTypeName ClusterName ClusterDescription FRU Information Table DeviceId* FRUChassisindex*
int int int
4 4 4
No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
int int
4 4
No No
FRUIndex* FRUDeviceName FRUManufacturer FRUSerialNumber FRUPartNumber
int
No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Reporting
201
Table 10-3. IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Column Name FRURevision FRUManufacturingDate Printer Supply Table DeviceId* PrinterSupplyIndex* PrinterSupplyDescription PrinterSupplyLevel PrinterSupplyMaxLevel PrinterSupplyType Printer Input Tray Table DeviceId* PrinterInputTrayIndex* PrinterInputName PrinterInputVendorName PrinterInputModel PrinterInputDescription int int 4 4 No No Yes Yes Yes Yes The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The printer input tray index. Name of the printer input. Name of the printer (re)seller. Name of the input tray model. The printer input description. int int 4 4 No No Yes Yes Yes Yes The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The printer supply index. The printer supply description. The printer supply level. The maximum level of printer supply. The printer supply type. Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed nvarchar 255 date 8 Yes Yes The FRU revision number. The FRU manufacturing date.
nvarchar 64 nvarchar 16 int 4
nvarchar 64
202
Reporting
Table 10-3.
IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed nvarchar 64 Yes The maximum capacity of the printer input module. The current capacity of the printer input module. The media type. The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The printer output index. Name of the output unit. Name of the printer (re)seller. Name of the output tray model. The printer output description. The maximum output capacity of the printer. The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The printer cover index. The printer cover description. The printer cover status.
Column Name PrinterInputMaxCapacity
PrinterInputCurrentCapacity
nvarchar 64
Yes
PrinterInputMediaType Printer Output Tray Table DeviceId* PrinterOutputIndex* PrinterOutputName PrinterOutputVendorName PrinterOutputModel PrinterOutputDescription PrinterOutputMaxCapacity Printer Cover Table DeviceId* PrinterCoverIndex* PrinterCoverDescription PrinterCoverStatus
nvarchar 64 int int 4 4
Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64
int int
4 4
No No Yes Yes
Reporting
203
Table 10-3. IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Column Name Tape Drive Table DeviceId* TapeDriveIndex* TapeDriveVendor TapeDriveModel TapeDriveType TapeDriveFirmwareVersion TapeDriveSerialNumber TapeDriveWMN TapeDriveCleaningRequired int int 4 4 No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The tape drive index. Name of the tape drive vendor. Name of the tape drive model. The tape drive type. Firmware version of the tape drive. Serial number of the tape drive. WMN for the tape drive. Specifies whether the tape drive requires cleaning. The Foreign Key to the Device Table. The tape library index. Name of the tape library vendor. Name of the tape library model. Firmware version of the tape library. The number of drives. Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed
nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 32 nvarchar 32 nvarchar 32 nvarchar 32
Tape Library Table DeviceId* TapeLibraryIndex* TapeLibraryVendor TapeLibraryModel TapeLibraryFirmwareVersion TapeLibraryDriveCount int int 4 4 No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
nvarchar 64 nvarchar 64 nvarchar 32 int 4
204
Reporting
Table 10-3.
IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed int 4 Yes Yes The number of slots. Serial number of the tape library. The Foreign Key reference to the device table. The unique GUID of the guest/virtual machine. The health state of the guest/virtual system. The state of the guest. The display name of the guest. The Foreign Key reference to the device table. The unique GUID of the guest/virtual system. MAC address of the virtual network adapter The name of the virtual network adapter The description of the virtual network adapter nvarchar 32
Column Name TapeLibrarySlotCount TapeLibrarySerialNumber HyperVGuestInfo Table DeviceId
int
No
GuestGUID
nvarchar 256
No
GuestHealthState GuestState GuestName HyperVGuestNICInfo Table DeviceId
Yes Yes Yes
int
No
HyperVNICGuestGUID
nvarchar 256
No
HyperVMACAddress HyperVNICName HyperVNICDescription
No Yes
nvarchar 1024 Yes
Reporting
205
Table 10-3. IT Assistant Database Schema (continued) Column Name HyperVGuestMemoryInfo Table DeviceId int 4 No The Foreign Key reference to the device table. The unique GUID of the guest/virtual machine. The block size of the memory in bytes. The number of memory blocks Data Type Data Nulls Description Size Allowed
GuestGUID
nvarchar 256
No
MemoryBlockSize NumberOfMemoryBlocks
int int
4 4
Yes Yes
206
Reporting
Ensuring a Secure Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Installation
11
This section discusses several specific topics useful in implementing a more secure Dell OpenManage IT Assistant installation. IT Assistant leverages HTTPS for secure communications, as well as the Microsoft Active Directory for role-based access. For detailed information on security across the Dell OpenManage platform, see the Dell OpenManage Installation and Security Users Guide.
TCP/IP Packet Port Security

A TCP/IP packet communicates a request to a target system. Encoded within this packet is a port number that is associated with a specific application. IT Assistant is accessed by specifying https://<hostname>:<portnumber>. Using https requires the application being used to encrypt the data according to the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) specification so that it is not possible for an observer to pick up and read sensitive information such as passwords by watching packets on the network. User are then authenticated through the IT Assistant login page and their credentials checked against whatever role is mapped in Active Directory or the local operating system. For information on the three roles supported by IT Assistant, see "Role-Based Access Security Management" on page 220. NOTE: The IT Assistant user interface communicates with the IT Services Tier over port 2607.
207
Securing Managed Desktops, Laptops, and Workstations

Securing the Managed Systems Operating System
The first step in promoting a secure network environment is to ensure that all managed system operating systems are running the most current service pack and/or any additional critical security hotfixes. To simplify this process, Microsoft has introduced Software Update Services. See the Microsoft website for more details. Perform similar updates for other managed systems operating systems as well.
Session Time-out
An IT Assistant UI session can be configured to time-out after a defined period of inactivity. To configure the session time-out interval, click Preferences on the top IT Assistant navigation bar and choose Web Server Properties. You can either disable session time-out altogether, or allow for up to 30 minutes of inactivity. NOTE: If the data communication channel between the IT Assistant user interface and the Web server is active due to any asynchronous updates such as performance monitoring tasks, discovery of devices, status polling, and so on, the user session will not time-out even if session time-out is enabled.
ASF and the SNMP Protocol

A final security consideration, starting with Dell OptiPlex GX260 systems, is the support for the Alert Standard Format (ASF) for integrated Network Interface Controller (NIC). ASF issues Platform Event Traps (PET) corresponding to system health and security issues. Since these traps are supported by the SNMP protocol, the managed system NIC must be configured with the IP address and community string of the management station running IT Assistant.
208
In summary, to successfully and securely manage desktops, laptops, and workstations per the security measures introduced in the paragraphs above, system administrators should adhere to the following best practices: Ensure that the operating system is up-to-date with the most recent operating system security patches. For ASF-capable desktops, either disable ASF or implement SNMP community names that cannot be easily guessed.
Securing Managed Server Systems

Securing the Managed Systems Operating System
As with desktops and workstations, the first step in securing a server is to ensure that it is running with the most current service pack and appropriate critical hot fixes installed. Microsoft Software Update Services, mentioned in the previous section, also applies to Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 servers. Similar services should be checked for Red Hat Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.
Choosing the Most Secure Managed System Server Protocol

Dell OpenManage Server Administrator, the current Dell server instrumentation software, uses the SNMP and CIM protocols, which can be configured during a custom install.
CIM Monitoring, DCOM, and Windows Authentication

The CIM protocol, which uses DCOM security, leverages Windows challenge/response (user name/password) authentication. In addition, communication with the managed system is established through the domain/user name/password accounts specified in each of the configured IT Assistant discovery ranges. The format for these accounts is <domain name>\<user name> or localhost\<user name>. NOTE: WMI security can be changed with utilities such as dcomcnfg.exe, wmimgmt.msc, and wbemcntl. However, due to the potential for undesired side effects, implementing changes through these methods is not recommended. See the Microsoft website for more information.
209
NOTE: Even in environments that intend to use only CIM for monitoring, SNMP is typically enabled because Server Administrator only provides error notification using SNMP traps.
Security and the SNMP Protocol

There are several actions that can be taken to better secure environments using the SNMP protocol. Although the following samples refer to Microsoft Windows operating systems, similar steps can be performed for the Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating systems. By default, when SNMP is installed, the community name is set to public. This character string should be treated like a password and similar rules should be used in its selectiona string of adequate length, not easily guessed, and preferably consisting of mixed letters and numbers. In Windows operating systems, the SNMP community name can be configured through the Security tab of the SNMP services Property dialog box. As a secondary precaution, SNMP should also be set to Read Only to prevent unauthorized configuration and control actions. This can also be enforced by using snmpsets=no option when installing Server Administrator. It would still be possible to make those changes through the user interface or Command Line Interface (CLI) of Server Administrator. In addition, it is also possible to configure the SNMP service to accept requests only from a particular server (in this case, the system running IT Assistant). This too can be configured on the Windows Security tab referenced previously by selecting the radio button labeled Accept SNMP packets from these hosts and then clicking Add to enter the IP address or name of the system running IT Assistant. See your operating system documentation for more details. NOTE: To ensure that all the systems are properly configured, it is recommended that you use tools such as Group Policies in Active Directory to enforce these SNMP settings. As a final security step, Server Administrator should be configured to deny access to user and possibly power user accounts, thereby limiting access to administrator accounts only. This can be done through the Server Administrator top navigation bar by selecting Preference and then unchecking the User Access boxes. NOTE: You can also limit user access using the Server Administrator CLI command omconfig preferences useraccess enable=admin.
210
See the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Command Line Interface Users Guide on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals for more information. In summary, to successfully and securely manage servers per the security measures introduced here, system administrators should adhere to the following best practices: Ensure that the operating system is up-to-date with the most recent operating system security patches. Implement SNMP community names that cannot be easily guessed. Configure SNMP to be Read Only to limit configuration, update, and power control to Server Administrator only. Configure SNMP to accept requests only from the IP address of the system running IT Assistant. Use tools such as Group Policies in Active Directory to enforce the SNMP settings for all servers to be managed. Configure Server Administrator to deny user level access.
Ensuring Database Security When Using IT Assistant

If Microsoft SQL Server database is not detected when IT Assistant is installed, the process installs a copy of SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2, which is set to an authentication mode of trusted or Windows only. However, other applications that may have previously installed MSDE or SQL Server, including previous versions of IT Assistant, frequently chose either an authentication mode of SQL or mixed mode, which allows SQL Server to manage its own user IDs and passwords. In the case of early versions of IT Assistant, the supervisor account password was set to either null or dell. At a minimum, decrease the exposure to a network break-in by changing these passwords to strings that correspond to the best practices mentioned previously. A better option is to change the database authentication mode to trusted or Windows only.
211
Running IT Assistant Behind a Firewall

Figure 11-1 illustrates a typical installation in which both IT Assistant and the systems being managed reside behind a firewall. The firewall denies passage to traffic on specified ports between the protected network and the rest of the world while still allowing an administrator to communicate freely with both IT Assistant and the managed system. Typical security for the system running IT Assistant in an environment behind a firewall includes the following: Use trusted accounts instead of named or mixed for the database. Limit user interface connections to a known system.
Figure 11-1. Typical Installation Behind a Firewall users system IT Assistant User Interface 2607 IT Assistant Services CIM/WM 161, 162 firewall 1311 Web Browser 80, RAC Array Manager 2148
managed system Server Administrator
Array Manager
212
Setting Up Additional Security for IT Assistant Access

So far in this section, security has been addressed with respect to the existing TCP/IP connection between IT Assistant and the managed system. In addition to these security precautions, Microsoft Terminal Services, which allows uncharted remote connection only by users with administrator accounts (administrative mode), can also be used to limit user interface connections to a system running IT Assistant user interface and Services. An example of a network which leverages Terminal Services is shown in Figure 11-2.
Figure 11-2. Using Terminal Services for Additional Security Services system Array Manager users system terminal Terminal Services client 3389 Internet Explorer IT Assistant User Interface IT Assistant Services 161,162 CIM/WM 260
managed system Server Administrator RAC
firewall
1311 80/443 2148
Array Manager
In Figure 11-2, a user may connect to the IT Assistant management station through a locally installed Terminal Services client or Windows XP Remote Desktop connection. This connection requires a valid domain/user ID/password. See Microsoft website for more information.
213
The additional level of security is derived by setting up restrictions on all managed systems to only accept SNMP traffic from the IP address of the system running the IT Assistant user interface ([UI] the network management station). Terminal Services and Remote Desktop sessions emulate traffic coming directly from the network management station; therefore, access to IT Assistant is restricted only to Terminal Services clients or a local network management station user. Any other connection, such as another remote IT Assistant UI installation, would be unable to effectively communicate with properly configured managed systems in the network since traffic identified as originating from a system other than the network management station would be refused. NOTE: Terminal Services is an optional component of Microsoft Windows 2000 and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 that can be installed in either admin or application mode. NOTE: When Terminal Services is installed in administrative mode, up to two users can log in as long as they are members of the administrators group. When Terminal Services is installed in application mode, non-administrator groups can log in and more than two sessions are supported. However, application mode installation has additional licensing implications. When installing IT Assistant on a system running Terminal Services in application mode, the installation must be performed locally and not through a terminal session.
Securing Ports for IT Assistant and Other Supported Dell OpenManage Applications
Securing port 2607 of the IT Assistant Services Tier and ports 1311, 623, 161, and 162 of the managed system can be done using IP Security (IPSec). To list ports that are currently running on your server, you can use the command netstat -an from a command prompt to show the status of all ports on your system. The results of this command should indicate that the IT Assistant management station should only accept a connection on port 2607 from the server hosting the IT Assistant UI (which would be connected through Terminal Services). Similarly, the managed systems should be configured to accept connections through ports 1311, 161, and 162 from the management station. IT Assistant uses ICMP (if the system is configured to use SNMP or CIM) or RMCP (if the system is configured to use IPMI) packets to ping the managed systems during discovery or status polling. Only after IT Assistant receives a ping response from the managed system, it proceeds with discovery 214
using SNMP CIM, or IPMI, as configured. Configure the firewall to enable , incoming, as well as outgoing ICMP packets along with the other ports, as required by the protocol used for discovery. Features such as software updates, power monitoring, and so on will work only when additional ports are opened. Table 11-1 lists the IT Assistant ports to be configured.
Table 11-1. IT Assistant UDP/TCP Default Ports Port Version Maximum Direction Usage Type Encryption Level TCP 7.x 128-bit In/Out IT Assistant contextual application launchSSH client Remote software updates to Server Administrator for systems supporting Linux operating systems Performance monitoring in Linux systems 23 Telnet TCP 7.x None In/Out IT Assistant No contextual application launchTelnet to Linux device Optional e-mail alert action from IT Assistant Wake-on-LAN No Configur able Yes
Port # Protocol
22
SSH
25
SMTP
TCP 7.x
None
In/Out
68
UDP
UDP 7.x
None
Out
Yes
215
Table 11-1. IT Assistant UDP/TCP Default Ports (continued) Port # Protocol Port Version Maximum Direction Usage Type Encryption Level TCP 7.x None In/Out IT Assistant contextual application launch PowerConnect console Configur able No
80
HTTP
135
RPC
TCP 7.x
None
In/Out
No Event reception through CIM from Server Administrator for systems supporting Windows operating systems Remote software No update transfer to Server Administratorfor systems supporting Windows operating systems Remote Command Line for systems supporting Windows operating systems
135
RPC
TCP 7.x /UD P
None
In/Out
161 162
SNMP SNMP
UDP 7.x UDP 7.x
None None
In/Out In
SNMP query management Event reception through SNMP
No No
216
Table 11-1.
IT Assistant UDP/TCP Default Ports (continued) Port Version Maximum Direction Usage Type Encryption Level UDP 7.x None Out SNMP trap forwarding action from IT Assistant Configur able No
Port # Protocol
162
SNMP
389
LDAP
TCP 7.x
128-bit
In/Out
Domain No authentication for IT Assistant log on Optional remote Yes SQL server access Network Yes monitoring service communication port IT Assistant Web GUI Yes
1433 Proprietary TCP 7.x 2606 Proprietary TCP 7.x
None None
In/Out In/Out
2607 HTTPS 3389 RDP
TCP 7.x TCP 7.x
128-bit SSL 128-bit SSL
In/Out In/Out
IT Assistant Yes contextual application launchRemote desktop to Windows terminal services EMC Storage discovery and inventory IPMI access through LAN No
443
Proprietary TCP 8.0
None
In/Out
623
RMCP
UDP 8.0
None
In/Out
No
217
Table 11-1. IT Assistant UDP/TCP Default Ports (continued) Port # Protocol Port Version Maximum Direction Usage Type Encryption Level None In/Out Configur able
6389 Proprietary TCP 8.0
Enables No communication between a host system (through NaviCLI/NaviSec CLI or Navisphere Host Agent) and a Navisphere Array Agent on a Storage system.
218
Single Sign-On
The Single Sign-On option on Windows systems enables all logged-in users to bypass the login page and access IT Assistant by clicking the IT Assistant icon on the desktop. The desktop icon queries the registry to see if the Automatic Logon with current username and password option is enabled in Internet Explorer. If this option is enabled, then Single Sign-On is executed; otherwise, the normal login page will be displayed. NT LAN Manager (NTLM) authentication must not be disabled on the Windows network. To enable the Automatic Logon with current username and password option, perform the following steps in Internet Explorer: 1 Click Internet Options on the Tools menu. 2 Click the Security tab 3 Select the security zone that the IT Assistant system falls within, that is, Trusted sites and click Custom Level. 4 In the Security Setting dialog-box, under User Authentication, select the Automatic Logon with current username and password. 5 Click OK twice, and restart Internet Explorer. For local system access, you must have an account on the system with the correct privileges (User, Power User, or Administrator). Other users are authenticated against Microsoft Active Directory. To launch IT Assistant using Single Sign-on authentication against Microsoft Active Directory, the following parameters must be set: authType=ntlm&application=[ita] For example: https://localhost:2607/?authType=ntlm&application=ita To launch IT Assistant using Single Sign-on authentication against the local system user accounts, the following parameters must be set: authType=ntlm&application=[ita]&locallogin=true For example: https://localhost:2607/?authType=ntlm&application= ita&locallogin=true
219
Role-Based Access Security Management

IT Assistant provides security through role-based access control (RBAC), authentication, and encryption.
Role-Based Access Control

RBAC manages security by determining the operations that can be executed by persons in particular roles. Each user is assigned one or more roles, and each role is assigned one or more user privileges that are permitted to users in that role. With RBAC, security administration corresponds closely to an organization's structure.
User Privileges
IT Assistant grants different access rights based on the user's assigned group privileges. The three user levels are: User, Power User, and Administrator. Users have read-only access to all IT Assistant information. Power Users can create tasks for immediate execution. They cannot modify discovery configuration settings, modify alert management settings, or schedule or delete tasks. Administrators can perform all IT Assistant tasks and functions.
Microsoft Windows Authentication
For supported Windows operating systems, IT Assistant authentication is based on the operating system's user authentication system using Windows NT LAN Manager (NTLM) modules to authenticate. This underlying authentication system allows IT Assistant security to be incorporated in an overall security scheme for your network.
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Assigning User Privileges

You do not have to assign user privileges to IT Assistant users before installing IT Assistant. The following procedures provide step-by-step instructions for creating IT Assistant users and assigning user privileges for Windows operating system: CAUTION: You should disable guest accounts for supported Microsoft Windows operating systems in order to protect access to your critical system components. See "Disabling Guest and Anonymous Accounts" on page 223 for instructions.
Creating IT Assistant Users for Supported Windows Operating Systems

NOTE: You must be logged in with Admin privileges to perform these procedures.
Creating Users and Assigning User Privileges
NOTE: For questions about creating users and assigning user group privileges or for more detailed instructions, see your operating system documentation. 1 Click the Start button, right-click My Computer, and point to Manage. 2 In the console tree, expand Local Users and Groups, and then click Users. 3 Click Action, and then click New User. 4 Type the appropriate information in the dialog box, select or clear the appropriate check boxes, and then click Create. CAUTION: You must assign a password to every user account that can access IT Assistant to protect access to your critical system components. Additionally, users who do not have an assigned password cannot log in to IT Assistant on a system running Windows Server 2003 due to operating system constraints. NOTE: Do not use double or single quotes in passwords. 5 In the console tree, under Local Users and Groups, click Groups. 6 Click the group to which you want to add the new user: Users, Power Users, or Administrators. 7 Click Action, and then click Properties. 8 Click Add.
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9 Type the user name that you are adding and click Check Names to validate. 10 Click OK. New users can log in to IT Assistant with the user privileges for their assigned group.
Adding Users to a Domain
NOTE: For questions about creating users and assigning user group privileges or for more detailed instructions, see your operating system documentation. NOTE: You must have Active Directory installed on your system to perform the following procedures. 1 Click the Start button, and then point to Control Panel Administrative Tools Active Directory Users and Computers. 2 In the console tree, right-click Users or right-click the container in which you want to add the new user, and then point to New User. 3 Type the appropriate user name information in the dialog box, and then click Next. CAUTION: You must assign a password to every user account that can access IT Assistant to protect access to your critical system components. Additionally, users who do not have an assigned password cannot log into IT Assistant on a system running Windows Server 2003 due to operating system constraints. NOTE: Do not use double or single quotes in passwords. 4 Click Next, and then click Finish. 5 Double-click the icon representing the user you just created. 6 Click the Member of tab. 7 Click Add. 8 Select the appropriate group and click Add. 9 Click OK, and then click OK again. New users can log in to IT Assistant with the user privileges for their assigned group and domain.
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Disabling Guest and Anonymous Accounts

NOTE: You must be logged in with Administrator privileges to perform this procedure. 1 If your system is running Windows Server 2003, click the Start button, right-click My Computer, and point to Manage. If your system is running Windows 2000, right-click My Computer and point to Manage. 2 In the console tree, expand Local Users and Groups and click Users. 3 Click the Guest or IUSR_system name user account. 4 Click Action and point to Properties. 5 Select Account is disabled and click OK. A red circle with an X appears over the user name. The account is disabled.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Top IT Assistant Questions
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The following table lists frequently asked questions and answers.

Question Answer
What User Datagram See "IT Assistant UDP/TCP Default Ports" on page 215 Protocol (UDP)/ for more information. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) ports does IT Assistant use? I just did a system update; why dont I see the updated version in the IT Assistant inventory? All the data that IT Assistant displays in the system list is stored in the data repository, which is refreshed during each inventory cycle. If you perform an update, IT Assistant reports that change after the next inventory cycle. To refresh the inventory of the device before the next scheduled inventory cycle, right-click the device with the outdated version in the Device Tree view and click Refresh Inventory.
NOTE: It may take several minutes for the inventory to display the updated version, so it is recommended that you wait 5 - 10 minutes before requesting an inventory of the device.
I just shut down a system. IT Assistant updates a systems up/down status only Why does IT Assistant still during a status poll of the system, during a discovery of show it as awake? the system, or when IT Assistant receives an event from the system.
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Question Why cant I see a status update for a device on the IT Assistant user interface (UI)?
Answer If IT Assistant detects that the global status of a device has NOT changed on a scheduled status poll, then it will not send a message to the UI. Also, IT Assistant will not send a message to the UI when it checks the status after an incoming event for that device. This behavior is to optimally use resources and to increase the processing speed of the other messages that are sent to the user. If you are inspecting the device summary or device details at that very moment, the information about the last status time or the individual agent status will not be automatically refreshed. Refresh the view or click another device to automatically load the latest information from the database.
How do I know when IT Assistant is finished discovering systems?
IT Assistant provides discovery cycle progress information. In the IT Assistant UI, go to Discovery and MonitoringLogs. See also "Discovery and Monitoring LogsResolving Discovery Issues" in the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help. IT Assistant was unable to connect to the remote agent or device. Use the Troubleshooting Tool to resolve the issue by running Ping, CIM, and SNMP Connectivity tests and the Name Resolution test. In the IT Assistant UI, go to Tools Troubleshooting Tool. See "Troubleshooting ToolsFinding and Resolving Discovery Issues" in the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help. Certain applications (for example, Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Management Services and Digital KVM Console) must be installed on the system running the IT Assistant UI before they can be launched from IT Assistant.
I received a message stating that IT Assistant cant communicate with the remote device. What caused this problem?
Why do I get an error message when launching applications from the right-click Device Tree?
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Question
Answer
Why do I get a Java out of When managing an environment with more than 2000 memory exception? devices, increase the amount of memory allocated to the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) heap.
NOTE: The memory should be increased on the system from

where you access the IT Assistant Management Station. To do so, close the IT Assistant browser session and go to the Java Control Panel. The panel is located under the Microsoft Windows Control Panel or the ControlPanel executable in the bin folder of the JRE installation on the Linux system. Click the Java tab and in the Java Applet Runtime section, click View.... Click in the Java Runtime Parameters area and type: -Xmx256M Why do I get a host name mismatch warning when I try to access the IT Assistant user interface? This warning appears if the web address that you use to connect to IT Assistant contains a different host name than the one that was used to install IT Assistant. For example, if you installed IT Assistant using the host name sysadmin3 with an IP address of 133.143.157.30, the warning appears if you log in to IT Assistant using the IP address. However, if you log in to the remote device using the system name, sysadmin3, the warning does not appear.
Why dont I get a Login IT Assistant uses the operating-system credentials of the prompt when I login to IT currently logged-in user and automatically logs you in to Assistant from a desktop? IT Assistant. See the section about Single Sign-On in the Dell IT Assistant Online Help for more information. Why does the Windows NT LAN Manager (NTLM) authentication fail when I attempt to log in to IT Assistant? Ensure that your Single Sign-On is enabled in your Internet Explorer browser. To enable Single Sign-On, launch Internet Explorer. Click Tools Internet Options Security tab. Select Trusted sites. (The IT Assistant system is covered within this security zone.) Click Custom Level. Scroll down to User Authentication and select Automatic logon with current username and password.
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Question How do I disable Java caching?
Answer To disable Java caching on a Windows system, go to the Windows Control Panel, click the Java icon to display the Java Control Panel, and ensure that the Enable Caching check box in the Java Applet Cache Viewer dialog box is not selected. To disable caching on a Linux system, run the ControlPanel executable in the bin folder of the JRE installation on the Linux system, and ensure that the Enable Caching check box in the Java Applet Cache Viewer dialog box is not selected.
What precautions do I need to take when I revert to an older version of IT Assistant?
If you have Java applet caching enabled on any of the systems where you have accessed the IT Assistant UI, then delete the jar files used by IT Assistant, from the cache of each of those systems. Go to Java Control Panel and click Settings under Temporary Internet Files. The panel is located under Microsoft Windows Control Panel or Linux ControlPanel in the bin folder. Click View Applets. Select the cached files and click Delete.
NOTE: Failure to delete the Java applet cache may result in inconsistent behavior of the older version of IT Assistant.
Why did the server status icon on IT Assistant not change when the hard disk was removed from a system being managed through Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)? The Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) must be configured to send a particular hard disk related trap. Configure it manually, by using IPMI or any other related tool, to send the specific Platform Event Filter (PEF) trap. BMC will send the trap after it is configured. And on receiving the trap, IT Assistant will display it with unknown severity and degrade the system status to critical.
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Question
Answer
Why does the MediaType IT Assistant is unable to retrieve MediaType information column display NA instead because of the following reasons: of SSD or HDD? Managed node has only Dell OpenManage Storage Management Agent installed. Error occurred during the retrieval of MediaType information through SNMP protocol. Check the SNMP service running on the managed node. Why does IT Assistant display incorrect alert ID for alerts sent from a Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.7? The trap field settings is different in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.7 from Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.6. You must download and install net-snmp-5.1.2-13.el4_7.3.rpm package from the Red Hat Network for IT Assistant to display correct alert IDs.
Software Updates
Question I get a request-timeout when I try to navigate or perform any action on the IT Assistant Software Updates module. What is the workaround? Answer If you face request timeout error in software update module check the Java console log for any out of memory messages. If you find any out of memory error, you must set the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) heap size to a higher value, max size being 512 MB. See "Setting the Java Runtime Parameter in Supported Windows Environment" on page 164 and "Setting the Java Runtime Parameter in Supported Linux Environment" on page 165, for detailed instructions.
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Installation Updates
Question In the IT Assistant prerequisite checker screen, I get an error message while attempting to execute a Visual Basic script? Answer Confirm that the Visual Basic files are installed correctly. This error occurs when the Prerequisite Checker invokes the Dell OpenManage vbstest.vbs (a Visual Basic [VB]) script to verify the installation environment) and the script fails for some reason. The possible causes are as follows: 1 Incorrect Internet Explorer Security settings. In the Internet Explorer, ensure that the following are enabled: Active Scripting Select ToolsInternet OptionsSecurityCustom LevelScriptingActive ScriptingEnable. Scripting of Java Applets Select ToolsInternet OptionsSecurityCustom LevelScriptingScripting of Java AppletsEnable. 2 Windows Scripting Host (WSH) has disabled the running of VB scripts. By default, WSH is installed during the operating system installation. WSH can be configured to prevent scripts with a .vbs extension from being run. On the Desktop, right-click My Computer and then select OpenToolsFolder OptionsFile Types. Look for the extension VBS and verify that File Types is set to VBScript Script File. If the file type is not set, then click Change and choose Microsoft Windows Based Script Host as the application that runs the script. 3 WSH is the wrong version, or is corrupted, or is not installed. By default, WSH is installed during the operating system installation. To download the current WSH version, go to the Microsoft MSDN website. 4 The Scrrun.dll file may not be registered. Register it manually by running the following command: regsvr32 Scrrun.dll
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Question During IT Assistant installation, in Prerequisite checker, I get a blank Internet Explorer screen?
Answer A probable cause is a corrupted Internet Explorer installation. Browsing to any site displays the message The requested lookup key was not found in any active activation context. To resolve, ensure that you install Internet Explorer correctly before installing IT Assistant.
During IT Assistant To resolve, Add the IP address of the local machine to the installation, When Trusted Sites list for the pages to be displayed or lower your launching the quick security settings. installation guide from the Prerequisite Checker, a message prompting that the page is blocked due to enhanced security configuration is displayed?
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Scope and Capabilities of IT Assistant

These frequently asked questions cover the general capabilities of IT Assistant, optimizing the UI environment, and discovery configuration.
Question Why does IT Assistant show that my discovered system is down during a status poll when it is up? Answer For networks where Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is prevalent, IT Assistant may show a system as down when it is actually up due to another system obtaining its IP Address. During a discovery round, when IT Assistant discovers a particular managed system, it looks for other systems in its database with the same IP address as the one under discovery. If any other system shares that address, its IP address is marked as invalid. When the system whose IP address was marked as invalid is eventually rediscovered, its IP address entries are updated and marked as valid again. Until these IP address entries are updated, any status poll that runs will mark that system as down due to not having any valid IP address entries to check against. When IT Assistant discovers a particular managed system through its IP address during a discovery round, IT Assistant attempts to resolve the managed system's address to a name, either through instrumentation or DNS. If DNS is the preferred name resolution method and the name of the managed system under discovery has recently changed, it may take several discovery rounds for the name to update in IT Assistant due to Windows caching DNS entries on the local system. For more information on how to clear the cache faster, see the Microsoft documentation for your operating system. Use the IT Assistant Troubleshooting Tool to help resolve this issue. In the UI, go to Tools Troubleshooting Tool. See "Troubleshooting ToolFinding and Resolving Discovery Issues" in the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help.
Why doesn't IT Assistant show my system as up after I changed the name?
Why can't I discover my desktop system?
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Question Does IT Assistant manage only Dell systems?
Answer Yes. IT Assistant only manages Dell systems that have Dell instrumentation installed and running. However, starting with IT Assistant 8.0, devices that are configured with IPMI 1.5 or later can also be discovered with IT Assistant. No. Although IT Assistant is tested for installation on Dell systems, the IT Assistant UI is designed to operate on a system running the supported operating systems. Therefore, IT Assistant should work without incident on non-Dell systems that run these operating systems and that meet the minimum hardware specifications. See "Planning Your Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Installation" on page 49 for more details. However, Dell does not provide warranty or free support for non-Dell systems.
Do I have to install IT Assistant on a Dell system?
How many users can run IT Assistant at the same time? Can I install IT Assistant on top of Client Administrator? How many systems can I manage?
Multiple users can run IT Assistant to connect to IT Assistant services. The number of users is limited by the resources available on the management station. Client Administrator is not currently a supported configuration on the same system as IT Assistant. IT Assistant is designed and tested to manage up to several thousand systems on a suitably configured system.
NOTE: CPU-intensive tasks like the performance monitoring can, however, be performed only on a hundred systems and software deployment can be attempted only on about 20 systems at a time.
Can I use IT Assistant over the Internet? IT Assistant is a local area network (LAN)-oriented tool for monitoring and managing systems in an IP network. You can monitor and manage systems over the Internet using IT Assistant, but Dell does not recommend it unless you have a way of securing your data, which you must provide. IT Assistant does provide security suitable for use over a corporate intranet.
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IT Assistant User Interface

Question Answer I know that the IT Assistant IT Assistant caches some data and validates the timeUI is set to automatically log out only when gathering new data is required. me out after 30 minutes of being idle. So, why am I able to continue to change menus and views after being logged into IT Assistant after 30 minutes? Why dont I see all the alerts The IT Assistant UI displays alerts in the Alert Logs on the Alerts tab? view. You can specify that you want to view all alerts by selecting All Alerts in the Filter drop-down menu. See "Alert Logs Working With Alerts" for additional information.
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Question I cannot log into IT Assistant. Even before logging in, I get the session expiry message.
Answer You will receive this message if you have enabled IP version 6 on your operating system.
NOTE: By default, IP version 6 is enabled on Windows

Vista and Windows Server 2008. To rectify this issue in Windows, perform the following steps: 1 Click the Start button. Point to SettingsControl Panel Java. 2 In the Java tab, click View in the Java Applet Runtime Settings section. 3 Pass this parameter to Java Runtime Parameters:
-Djava.net.preferIPv6Addresses=true
To rectify this issue in Linux, perform the following steps: 1 Navigate to the Java home directory. The default path is /usr/java/jre1.6.0_11/bin/. 2 Run ./ControlPanel. 3 In the Java tab, click View in the Java Applet Runtime Settings section. 4 Pass this parameter to Java Runtime Parameters:
-Djava.net.preferIPv6Addresses=true
Why dont I see all the alerts The IT Assistant UI displays alerts in the Alert Logs on the Alerts tab? view. You can specify that you want to view all alerts by selecting All Alerts in the Filter drop-down menu. See "Alert LogsWorking With Alerts" in the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help. Why is the power state for a system that I shut down not shown as shut down in IT Assistant? The power state is dependent on the most recent status poll, which is dependent on the status polling interval. The power state will be updated when the next status poll occurs.
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Question What do I do if a system does not wake up?
Answer To wake up a device, IT Assistant uses the MAC addresses and subnet mask that were discovered for that device. If NIC teaming is configured on the device, only one MAC is advertised by the operating system. For Wake-on-LAN (WOL) to work, WOL must be enabled for all NICs in that team. For a WOL packet to reach its intended destination, directed broadcasting (also known as subnet broadcasting) must be enabled on the intermediate routers. Directed broadcasting is typically disabled on the routers, so you must configure this feature on the routers to enable it.
Why don't I see new alerts displayed in the Alert Logs view? Why don't I see a detailed description of my network adapter manufacturer on the IT Assistant Device Details Summary page?
To see new alerts, click Show New Alerts in the Alert Logs window. Due to the implementation of MIB2 on Red Hat Linux, the Network section of the IT Assistant Device Details Summary page does not have a detailed description of the network adapter manufacturer. For example, "eth0" or a similar string appears under Product Name.
Why is the IP address on the This issue has been fixed by a Red Hat patch to the NIC information page net-snmp package. displayed in a wrong row.
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Question When I export my report to CSV format, Excel doesnt display the report in a correct view. How can I fix this problem?
Answer The reporting system generates all of its output in Unicode format (www.unicode.org). To open the CSV reports, start Microsoft Excel and run the File | Open command, which displays the Import Wizard. Select the comma delimited option to open the report with the data in the correct columns.
Why do I get a registry error A registry editor error occurs while opening the IT when I attempt to open the Assistant UI on a system with less than the required IT Assistant UI? space. The IT Assistant client requires 25 MB of available hard-drive space. What information does Virtual Disk Cache Policy column display? IT Assistant displays the cache policy settings only for virtual disks and not for physical disks. The cache policy settings information is displayed in the Summary tab under Device Details page Virtual Disk Information table Virtual Disk Cache Policy column.
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Alert Management
Question Why is the Alert Log for a managed system empty when I receive alerts and see them displayed in the Alert Logs view? Answer When IT Assistant receives an event with an IP address stored in the event, IT Assistant resolves the event to a name accordingly by using its database of discovered systems (if instrumentation name resolution is preferred) or by using DNS (if DNS resolution is preferred). SNMP traps and CIM indications will always have an IP address to resolve from. If the IP address is already resolved to a name, IT Assistant does not attempt to resolve it again because this action could lead to differences in the name stored in the event versus the name under which IT Assistant discovered the system and sent the event, if instrumentation name resolution is preferred in IT Assistant. This issue may result in event actions not being performed due to the selection of system names in the Event Filters creation dialog that do not match the name contained in the event. In addition, all of the events received from that system may not be displayed in that system's Alerts view in IT Assistant. To avoid this behavior, it is recommended to choose DNS resolution as the preferred resolution in IT Assistant if DNS or WINS exist in the network environment in which IT Assistant is performing discovery.
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IT Assistant Services
Question How does IT Assistant resolve the names of discovered systems? Why am I experiencing a slow logon process after rebooting my system? Are IT Assistant Services causing these performance issues? Why does the SQL server/MSDE process appear to consume a large amount of the management station's memory when viewing memory consumption from the Task Manager? Why do command line tasks fail when the log on credentials of IT Assistant services are changed? Answer See "Name Resolution" in the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help. Ensure that your system meets the minimum system requirements as described in the "Planning Your Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Installation" on page 49. The Task Manager may not be reporting the actual amount of memory that is being consumed. To better gauge the SQL server's memory usage, go to www.microsoft.com and search for the knowledge base article KB321363, which describes how SQL Server consumes and releases memory. If the Log On account of DSM IT Assistant Connection Service or DSM IT Assistant Network Monitor services are changed, the following user rights must be assigned for the Log On account: Adjust memory quota for a process Replace a process level token See "Remote Microsoft SQL Server and IT Assistant" on page 78 for more information.
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IT Assistant Discovery
Question Why did the server status icon on IT Assistant not change when the hard disk was removed from a system being managed through Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)? Why did the iDRACs on my system get listed under servers on the IT Assistant user interface (UI)? Answer The Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) must be configured to send a particular hard disk related trap. Configure it manually, by using IPMI or any other related tool, to send the Platform Event Filter (PEF) trap. After configuration, BMC will send the trap. And on receiving the trap, IT Assistant will display it with unknown severity and degrade the system status to critical. On Dell xx0x modular systems, iDRAC and BMC functionality is integrated. Therefore, during IT Assistant discovery, the BMC information is displayed under servers. On Dell xx1x systems, if the out-of-band discovery is done through IPMI, the information is displayed under servers whereas if discovery is done through SNMP the device , information is displayed under the RAC group. On Dell yx0x modular systems, iDRAC, and BMC functionality is integrated. Therefore, during IT Assistant discovery, the BMC information is displayed under servers. On Dell yx1x systems, if the out-of-band discovery is done through IPMI, the information is displayed under servers whereas if discovery is done through SNMP the device , information is displayed under the RAC group.
Why did the iDRACs on my system get listed under servers on the IT Assistant user interface (UI)?
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Question I have discovered a system that supports CIM indications. In the past I was able to receive indications from the system, but am now no longer receiving them through IT Assistant. I am seeing the indications locally on the managed system. How do I qualify CIM user names?
Answer In order for CIM indications to be sent to the management station, the management station must register with the managed system. The registration is broken every time the management station or the managed system is restarted. When IT Assistant discovers a system, it registers that system with the CIM indication provider. If the managed system is restarted, IT Assistant does not reregister it until the next discovery cycle. To force a reregistration with the indication provider, force discovery of the managed system in IT Assistant by rightclicking the system in the Device Tree view and clicking Refresh Status. CIM is enabled/disabled only by discovery range and requires each CIM user to be qualified with a domain or local host if no trusted domain is configured. It is critical to provide this qualification when configuring CIM through a discovery range (for example: <domain>\<user name> or localhost\<user name>) to authenticate and use the CIM protocol. To upgrade from IT Assistant version 6.x to version 7.x, qualify your user name correctly by editing the discovery ranges.
How does the IT Dates and times are reported according to the time zone configured on the management station. Assistant UI determine the times that it displays? Why can't IT Assistant discover systems on the configured discovery range? Why does IT Assistant report some attribute values as blank or empty values? Use the IT Assistant Troubleshooting Tool to help resolve this issue. In the UI, go to Tools Troubleshooting Tool. See also "Troubleshooting ToolFinding and Resolving Discovery Issues" in the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help. IT Assistant will show blank or empty data values for those attributes which are queried from, but are not returned by, the agent. These blank fields may indicate that the feature is not supported by the device or reported by the device's agent(s), or that the device's current configuration disables the feature. In addition, blank values can also indicate empty fields that are returned by the agent. Frequently Asked Questions
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Question What ports do the IT Assistant services use to communicate? How can I change the port assignments?
Answer Port 2607 enables the IT Assistant UI to communicate with the IT Assistant Connection Service. Port 2606 enables the IT Assistant Connection Service to communicate with the IT Assistant Network Monitoring Service. You can change these port assignments when installing IT Assistant using customized settings. If you do not change the port assignments during customized installation, you must use the registry to reassign port numbers. See also "Ports Used by IT Assistant and Associated Agent Application" in the Dell OpenManage Security and Installation Guide. This situation is most likely to occur when using pure SNMP to communicate with the managed system. Most of the summary information shown is taken out of tables across the appropriate MIB file. In this case, network information is taken from the MIB2|Interfaces table. Binding multiple protocols to a single network card adds a row to the MIB file interfaces table for each protocol. IT Assistant then pulls all rows from this table. Because there is only one physical address per network card, you can use the physical media access control (MAC) address to ascertain how many network cards are actually installed.
If I have multiple protocols bound to one network card, IT Assistant displays multiple entries for that network card under Network Data on the Summary tab of the systems window. This leads me to believe that I have more network cards installed on the system than are actually there. Why does IT Assistant display these multiple entries? Why does DCOM generate event log messages when it fails to establish communication with managed systems?
This problem is a known issue with the Microsoft WBEM implementation. DCOM logs an error every time a remote connection fails. If CIM is enabled, IT Assistant tries to connect to every CIM agent that resides at an address that can be contacted using the ping command. If the user name and password do not work or if there is no CIM agent, DCOM adds an error message to the event log. IT Assistant services may exhibit instability on Windows 2000 SP3. See the Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 813648: "Random Access Violations When Multithreaded Applications Call the setlocale Function."
Why are IT Assistant services unstable on my system running Windows 2000?
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Question Why is there a delay in the display of discovery feedback in the Discovery and Monitoring Logs window?
Answer If a discovery task is already running and another discovery range is entered, the new range may not immediately show in the Discovery and Monitoring Logs window. This behavior is also dependent on the number of systems that are being discovered.
Why does discovery hang If IT Assistant has CIM enabled and is discovering on my CIM-enabled IT managed systems with Dell OpenManage Server Agent Assistant installation? version 4.4 or earlier that are configured for CIM, discovery may hang. You must upgrade the instrumentation for these systems. In the IT Assistant UI, go to Discovery and Monitoring Discovery Configuration to resolve this issue. See "Discovery ConfigurationConfiguring IT Assistant to Discover New Devices" in the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Online Help. A memory leak has occurred in the IT Assistant Network Monitoring Service. What caused the problem? Why can't I discover my ERA/MC device? If IT Assistant is installed on a device that is running Windows 2000 SP4, a known issue with the Microsoft WMI API results in a memory leak in the IT Assistant Network Monitoring Service when using the CIM protocol. The leak occurs when the remote device is passed incorrect authentication credentials during a discovery cycle or status poll. Before you can discover your ERA/MC you must have it properly configured. (For configuration information, see your ERA/MC documentation.) After you configure your ERA/MC, ensure that the IP address assigned to the device is included in the IT Assistant discovery range. IT Assistant discovers various ranges asynchronously and one range will be overwritten by the other. Provide consistent credentials for discovering the device. For example, if you have enabled SNMP and CIM with particular credentials for the first range, enter the same SNMP and CIM credentials for the second range for the device to be discovered.
Why does the device status display Unknown when I attempt to discover it using the SNMP and CIM protocol combinations?
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Question I have discovered a device by specifying the IP address in the range. The system rebooted and received a new IP address. Though the IP address is in the range, why is the Status displaying the system as down? Why do the VMware ESX systems get discovered as Unknown devices in the IT Assistant device tree?
Answer IT Assistant uses the IP address supplied only during discovery for all operations, such as, Status, Troubleshooting, Tasks, and so on. If the IP addresses used for discovery is unavailable or changed (due to Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol re-allocation), the Status will display the system as down. Discover the device again from the range that contains the updated IP address for the device. If you have VMware ESX Server version 4.0 and later installed, you must re-configure the SNMP service on the VMware ESX system. See Setting Up SNMP on VMware ESX Server 4.0 and Later For Discovery.
In the Devices tree, there To know the details of the device that is discovered under are devices grouped as Unknown devices, right-click on the unknown device and Unknown devices. What launch the application. are these device?
Question I have scheduled my performance monitoring tasks with an interval of 2 minutes. The task, however, does not fetch all samples at equal intervals. I am unable to see the information about the memory attribute in Execution Results pane of the task. Answer The delay in fetching samples can be caused due to various reasons, such as, low memory or high processor utilization on the IT Assistant management station. If an attribute is not supported on the remote device (managed system), information about the attribute will not display in the Execution Results pane of the task and the Performance tab on the Device view. Also, this attribute is not considered for status calculations.
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Question I stopped the Windows Management Interface (WMI) service. When I restart this service, why do I see the "Unable to connect to device using CIM/SSH" message?
Answer This is a normal situation. Data collection will start after fifteen to thirty minutes, as the connections are released once every fifteen minutes.
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IPMI Discovery Support

Question I have given my system IP address and credentials for Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) discovery, but the discovery still fails. I have configured BMC on my managed systems. However, I am still unable to discover these systems. I am using the IPMI discovery feature to discover the Dell x9xx systems. However, I am unable to get the software and hardware inventory of these systems. Answer Provide the managed systems BMC IP address and the BMC credentials (user name, password, and KG Key)
NOTE: KG Key is available only on Dell x9xx

and later systems. Ensure that you have a LAN connection to the BMC. IPMI discovery feature communicates with the BMC of the managed systems to get the status of the systems. The BMC provides data such as: power and chassis status hardware log service tag host name operating system system type BMC does not provide any other information about the managed systems.
NOTE: If you want more information about

your managed systems, you can use the Software Deployment feature of IT Assistant to deploy Dell agent (Server Administrator) on your managed systems. For more information, see "Using Server Software Deployment" on page 162.
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Miscellaneous
Question I want to run another application on the port on which the IT Assistant Netmon Service is installed. Do I have to uninstall and reinstall IT Assistant? Answer The port number for the DSM IT Assistant Network Monitor service is defined using the Microsoft Windows registry key HKLM\Dell Computer
Corporation\Dell OpenManage IT Assistant\Network Monitoring Service\PortNumber. Change the value of
this key and restart the DSM IT Assistant Connection Service and the DSM IT Assistant Network Monitor services. The names of the IT Assistant services are: DSM IT Assistant Network Monitor DSM IT Assistant Connection Service When IT Assistant discovers the PowerConnect switch with its IP address configured, but SNMP not configured, it classifies this object under the Unknown group as an Unknown device. However, when you configure SNMP on the switch, and click Refresh Inventory, IT Assistant reclassifies the switch as a Switch Object under the Network Devices category, but does not delete the Unknown entry. You must delete the redundant Unknown entry manually. If you have discovered your systems using CIM instead of SNMP then the RAC Console Application , Launch will not be available. Ensure that the snmpd.conf file is not set to send SNMP traps in version 2 format. IT Assistant does not recognize the SNMP version 2 format. Ensure that the trap format is set to trapsink hostname <community string>.
What are the names of the various IT Assistant services?
I have redundant entries for Dell PowerConnect switchesone under the Unknown category and the other under Network Devices as Switch Object.
The RAC Console Application Launch is not available for my systems. I am unable to receive traps from the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Management Service from my Linux systems.
NOTE: trapsink sends SNMP version 1 traps trap2sink sends SNMP version 2 traps.
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Question
Answer
I am not able to receive Array Storage Management Services and Array Manager do Manager and Storage not support CIM. Therefore, IT Assistant does not Management Service events. receive events from storage devices using CIM. To receive storage events, configure Array Manager and Storage Management Service to send SNMPbased events. I am unable to see the latest data on the Tasks tree. If you are seeing outdated data or if the data is missing, press F5 to manually refresh the IT Assistant user interface.
I am unable to receive Check the management station and the VMware ESX VMware ESX Server 3.x traps. Server settings. Management station settings: Unblock firewall for the SNMP service. Ensure that the community name is set correctly. Ensure that the Accept SNMP packet from any host or Accept SNMP packet from this host is set with the VMware ESX Server. Ensure that the SNMP and the SNMP trap services are running. VMware ESX Server settings: Unblock firewall for the SNMP service. Ensure /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf is configured correctly on the host. trapcommunity <management console trap community name> trapsink <Mgmt console IP> <Mgmt console community name> Ensure that the path to the VMware SNMP agent is set and is valid on the host. dlmod SNMPESX /usr/lib/vmware/snmp/ libSNMPESX.so Ensure that the VMware MIBs are in the expected path on the host, or copy the MIB from cp
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Question
Answer
I am unable to receive /usr/lib/vmware/snmp/mibs/*.mib to /usr/share/snmp/ VMware ESX Server 3.x traps. mibs/ (continued) Ensure that the SNMP and the VMware services are running correctly by using the following commands: service snmpd status service snmpd start service mgmt-vmware status service mgmt-vmware start Run the following command to start the hosted service of VMware and to view the list of virtual machines that are registered with the host device: vmware-cmd l
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Question
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Why do I observe one or more One or more 32-bit compatible libraries may not be of these symptoms while installed on the managed systems. Ensure that the managing Linux systems? required libraries are installed. Server Administrator For the list of libraries, see Decisions That You Make Deployment Task Before Installation on page 49. completes successfully; however, the inventory is not collected for the system, when the Server Administrator services start. Software inventory table is not displayed in the device summary. Servers are not listed in the report while running a compliance check for BIOS, firmware, and drivers. Dell update package fails while updating BIOS, firmware, and drivers. Dell Online synchronization feature of IT Assistant does not consider the Linux managed systems for the intelligent download criteria. IT Assistants browser based UI cannot be launched from the managed Linux systems.
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Configuring Protocols to Send Information to Dell OpenManage IT Assistant
Dell OpenManage IT Assistant uses three systems management protocols Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Common Information Model (CIM), and Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) over LAN. This appendix provides configuration information for these protocols. SNMP and CIM allow IT Assistant to get status for the Dell systems using server agents or Dell OpenManage Client Instrumentation (OMCI). IPMI, however, does not require agents to retrieve the status of the devices. It communicates with the baseboard management controller (BMC) for information about devices. This appendix includes procedures for configuring the systems management protocols that support the discovery, status, and trap information. The following table summarizes the availability of supported operating systems and corresponding systems management protocols for systems that can be managed by IT Assistant. NOTE: The choice of protocols that you specify for discovering and managing the devices can result in varying levels of manageability of the devices on your network. For example, if you choose to manage devices on your network using only the CIM protocol, the devices that have only SNMP agent (for example, DRAC) are classified under Unknown. Consequently, you may not get the application launch functionality (example RAC console) for these devices. To avoid such issues, make a careful choice of the protocols, depending on the devices (and protocols supported by agents running on those devices) that you will manage.
Configuring Protocols to Send Information to IT Assistant
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Table A-1. Supported Operating Systems and Systems Management Protocols on Managed Systems Operating System Microsoft Windows operating system SNMP Available from the operating system installation media. CIM Available from the operating system installation media Unavailable Unavailable
Red Hat Linux operating You must install the SNMP package system provided with the operating system. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system VMware ESX Server You must install the SNMP package provided with the operating system.
Installed by default during operating Unavailable system installation
NOTE: IPMI over LAN is available by default on all Dell x8xx and later systems that have the baseboard management controller (BMC).
Configuring the SNMP Service

In order for IT Assistant to install and function properly, it must be installed on a supported Microsoft operating system that has the SNMP service installed and running. Unless it has been modified after installation, the Microsoft operating system SNMP service should require no additional configuration. Although the SNMP service on IT Assistant system does not require special configuration, the SNMP service on the systems that it will be managing does. Furthermore, whereas IT Assistant can be installed only on supported Microsoft operating systems, it can manage systems that are running supported Microsoft, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating systems. This section explains how to configure SNMP on these managed systems. Each of the managed systems that use the SNMP protocol to communicate with IT Assistant must have read/write and read-only community names assigned. If you want IT Assistant to be able to receive traps from these managed systems, you must also configure an SNMP trap destination, defined either by host name or by IP address. NOTE: In a mixed IPv4 and IPv6 network, post SNMP discovery IT Assistant displays only the IPv4 addresses. 252
SNMP Community Names in IT Assistant and Server Administrator

For IT Assistant to successfully read information, modify information, and perform actions on a system running Dell OpenManage Server Administrator (the Dell recommended server agent) and/or other supported agents, the community names used by IT Assistant must match the corresponding community read-only (Get) and read/write (Set) community names on the managed system. Also, for IT Assistant to receive traps (asynchronous event notifications) from a system running Server Administrator, the system must be configured to send traps to the system running IT Assistant. For more information, see "Configuring SNMP for System Manageability" on page 88.
Community Names Must Be Secure
There are operating system default names for both Get and Set community names. For security reasons, these names should be changed. When selecting community names for your network, use the following guidelines: Change both the Get and Set names to passwords that are hard to guess. Avoid using strings such as your company's name or phone number or any well known personal information about yourself. Use an alphanumeric string that includes both letters and numbers, mixing uppercase and lowercase letters; community names are case-sensitive. Use strings that are at least six characters long.
Configuring SNMP Service on a System Running Supported Windows Operating System

For information on installing SNMP see "Installing SNMP on the IT Assistant , System" on page 68.
Configuring the SNMP Service on an IT Assistant Management Station

To configure the Windows SNMP Service on the management station, perform the following steps: 1 Right-click the My Computer icon on the desktop and select Manage. The Computer Management window appears. 2 Expand the Services and Applications tree.
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3 Click Services. The services list is displayed in the right pane. 4 Locate and double-click SNMP Service. The SNMP Service properties window is displayed. 5 Select the Security tab and click Add under Accepted community names. The SNMP Service Configuration window appears. 6 Select READ ONLY in the Community rights drop-down menu and type a case-sensitive string in the Community name field. 7 Click Add. 8 Select Accept SNMP packets from these hosts, and click Add again. 9 In the SNMP Service Configuration dialog box type localhost or the IP address of the management station in Host name, IP or IPX address. 10 Click Add. 11 Click the Traps tab. Enter a case-sensitive string in the Community name field and click Add to list. NOTE: You may enter the same string that you entered in step 6. 12 Click Add under the Trap destinations field and type localhost or the IP address of the management station in Host name, IP or IPX address and click Add. 13 Click OK. 14 Right-click SNMP Service and select Restart. 15 Select SNMP Trap Service and ensure that the status is displayed as Started and the Startup Type is Automatic.
Configuring the SNMP Service on an IT Assistant Managed System Running a Supported Windows Operating System
Server Administrator and certain other managed system agents, such as Dell PowerConnect switches, use the SNMP protocol to communicate with IT Assistant. To enable this communication, the Windows SNMP service must be properly configured to enable Get and Set operations and to send traps to a services system. NOTE: See your operating system documentation for additional details on SNMP configuration.
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NOTE: For systems running Windows Server 2003 to be discovered, Microsofts standard SNMP configuration on Windows Server 2003 requires SNMP to be configured to accept packages from the IT Assistant host.
Change the SNMP Community Name
Configuring the SNMP community names determines which systems are able to manage your system through SNMP . 1 If your system is running Windows Server 2003 or later, click the Start button, right-click My Computer, and point to Manage. If your system is running Windows 2000, right-click My Computer, and point to Manage. The Computer Management window appears. 2 Expand the Computer Management icon in the window, if necessary. 3 Expand the Services and Applications icon and click Services. 4 Scroll down the list of services until you find SNMP Service, right-click SNMP Service, and then click Properties. The SNMP Service Properties window appears. 5 Click the Security tab to add or edit a community name.
a
To add a community name, click Add under the Accepted Community Names list. The SNMP Service Configuration window appears. Type the community name of a system that is able to manage your system (the default is public) in the Community Name text box and click Add. The SNMP Service Properties window appears. To change a community name, select a community name in the Accepted Community Names list and click Edit. The SNMP Service Configuration window appears. Make all necessary edits to the community name of the system that is able to manage your system in the Community Name text box, and then click OK. The SNMP Service Properties window appears.
6 Click OK to save the changes.

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Enabling SNMP Set Operations

SNMP Set operations must be enabled on the managed system to change Server Administrator attributes using IT Assistant. 1 If your system is running Windows Server 2003 or later, click the Start button, right-click My Computer, and point to Manage. If your system is running Windows 2000, right-click My Computer, and point to Manage. The Computer Management window appears. 2 Expand the Computer Management icon in the window, if necessary. 3 Expand the Services and Applications icon, and then click Services. 4 Scroll down the list of services until you find SNMP Service, right-click SNMP Service, and click Properties. The SNMP Service Properties window appears. 5 Click the Security tab to change the access rights for a community. 6 Select a community name in the Accepted Community Names list, and then click Edit. The SNMP Service Configuration window appears. 7 Set the Community Rights to READ WRITE or READ CREATE, and click OK. The SNMP Service Properties window appears. 8 Click OK to save the changes.
Configuring Your System to Send SNMP Traps

Managed system agents such as Server Administrator generate SNMP traps in response to changes in the status of sensors and other monitored parameters. You must configure one or more trap destinations on the managed system for these traps to be sent to an IT Assistant system. 1 If your system is running Windows Server 2003 or later, click the Start button, right-click My Computer, and point to Manage. If your system is running Windows 2000, right-click My Computer and point to Manage. The Computer Management window appears. 2 Expand the Computer Management icon in the window, if necessary. 3 Expand the Services and Applications icon and click Services. 256
4 Scroll down the list of services until you find SNMP Service, right-click SNMP Service, and click Properties. The SNMP Service Properties window appears. 5 Click the Traps tab to add a community for traps or to add a trap destination for a trap community. 6 To add a community for traps, type the community name in the Community Name box and click Add to list. 7 To add a trap destination for a trap community, select the community name from the Community Name drop-down menu and click Add. The SNMP Service Configuration window appears. 8 Type the trap destination and click Add. The SNMP Service Properties window appears. 9 Click OK to save the changes.
Configuring SNMP Agent on Managed Systems Running Supported Linux Operating Systems
This section describes the configuration of SNMP agents on systems running Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating systems. Managed system agents such as Server Administrator use the SNMP services provided by the ucd-snmp or net-snmp SNMP agent. You can configure the SNMP agent to change the community name, enable Set operations, and send traps to an IT Assistant system. To configure your SNMP agent for proper interaction with IT Assistant, perform the procedures described in the following sections. NOTE: See your operating system documentation for additional details on SNMP configuration. NOTE: See the VMware Basic Administration Guide on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals for information on configuring SNMP agent on managed systems running ESX Server.
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Changing the SNMP Community Name

Correctly configuring SNMP community names determines which IT Assistant services systems are able to communicate with managed systems in your network. The SNMP community name used by IT Assistant must match an SNMP community name configured on a managed system so that IT Assistant can successfully read from, write to, and perform actions on managed systems in your network. To change the SNMP community name, edit the SNMP agent configuration file, /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf, by performing the following steps: 1 Find the line that reads: com2sec publicsec default public or com2sec notConfigUser default public 2 Edit this line by replacing public with the new SNMP community name. When edited, the line should read: com2sec publicsec default community_name or com2sec notConfigUser default community_name To change the SNMP community name in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, edit the SNMP agent configuration file, /etc/snmpd.conf by performing the following steps: 1 Find the line that reads: rocommunity public 127.0.0.1 2 Edit this line by replacing rocommunity with the new SNMP community name. When edited, the line should read: rwcommunity public <ITA system IP address>
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Enabling SNMP Set Operations

SNMP Set operations must be enabled on the system running Server Administrator in order to change Server Administrator attributes using IT Assistant. To enable SNMP Set operations on the system running Server Administrator, edit the SNMP agent configuration file, /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf (/etc/snmpd.conf in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server), and perform the following steps: 1 Find the line that reads: access publicgroup "" any noauth exact all none none or access notConfigGroup "" any noauth exact all none none 2 Edit this line, replacing the first none with all. When edited, the line should read: access publicgroup "" any noauth exact all all none or access notConfigGroup "" any noauth exact all all none For Red Hat Enterprise Linux (version 7.3 or later) and Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS (version 2.1 or later) operating systems, the default SNMP access for the sysLocation and sysContact variables has been changed to read-only access. IT Assistant uses the access rights for these variables to determine whether or not certain actions can be performed through SNMP . These variables must be configured with read/write access to enable "sets" or system configuration setting changes in IT Assistant. To configure the variables, it is recommended that you comment out the sysContact and sysLocation values in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server SNMP configuration file. 1 Find the line that starts with sysContact. 2 Change the line to #sysContact.
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3 Find the line that start with sysLocation. 4 Change the line to #sysLocation.
Configuring Your Managed Systems to Send Traps to IT Assistant

Managed system agents such as Server Administrator generate SNMP traps in response to changes in the status of sensors and other monitored parameters on a managed system. For IT Assistant to receive these traps, one or more trap destinations must be configured on the managed system. To configure your system running Server Administrator to send traps to a Services system, edit the SNMP agent configuration file, /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf (/etc/snmpd.conf in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server), by performing the following steps: 1 Add the following line to the file: trapsink IP_address community_name where IP_address is the IP address of the services system and community_name is the SNMP community name. 2 Save the snmpd.conf file and restart the snmpd service.
Setting Up SNMP on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

Retain the trapsink and smuxpeer lines in the existing snmpd.conf file. Delete all other content from the file. Add the following in the snmpd.conf: com2sec mynetwork <subnet>/24 public NOTE: Substitute <subnet> with the subnet address of your management station. However, retain the /24. group MyRWGroup v1 mynetwork view all included .1 80 access MyRWGroup "" any noauth exact all all none Restart /etc/init.d/snmpd.
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Setting Up SNMP on VMware ESX 3.5 server to Send Traps to IT Assistant

Follow the steps below to configure SNMP for the ESX server to send traps to IT Assistant: 1 Download VMware remote command line interface tool (RCLI) from the VMware website. 2 Run the following command to configure the SNMP from RCLI: vicfg-snmp --server <ESX_IP_addr> --username root -password <password> -c <community name> -p 5567 -t <ITA_IP_Address>@162/<community name> NOTE: Multiple IT Assistant IP Addresses can be mentioned by putting a comma (,) in between the target address that is IT Assistant IP address. 1 Run the following command to enable SNMP for ESX: vicfg-snmp --server <ESX_IP_addr> --username root -password <password> -E 2 Run the following command to show the configuration: vicfg-snmp --server <ESX_IP_addr> --username root -password <password> -s 3 Run the following command to send a test trap to IT Assistant: vicfg-snmp --server <ESX_IP_addr> --username root -password <password> -T NOTE: Ensure that the SNMP ports are kept open before sending traps to the management station. 4 For the ESX Server traps to be properly categorized in IT Assistant, perform the following:
a b c d
Open IT Assistant Console. Select Alerts Categories/Sources Virtual Machine. Right click Virtual Machine and select New SNMP Alert Source. Duplicate all existing SNMP Alert Source entries with the same values as the existing entries but modify the Enterprise OID to .1.3.6.1.4.1.6876.4.1.
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Setting Up SNMP on VMware ESX Server 4.0 and Later For Discovery
1 Download the VMware remote command line interface tool (RCLI) from the VMware website at www.vmware.com. You can download either a Virtual Appliance, RCLI tools for Linux, or RCLI tools for Windows operating system. 2 Run the following command on the VMware ESX Server to configure SNMP from RCLI: vicfg-snmp --server <ESX_IP_addr> --username root --password <password> -c <community name> -p X -t <ITA_IP_Address>@162/<community name> Where X represents an unused port. NOTE: Multiple IT Assistant IP addresses can also be mentioned using a comma-separated list. 3 Stop the SNMP service if it is already running on your system: Service snmpd stop 4 Add the following line at the end of the /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf: proxy -v 1 -c public udp:127.0.0.1:X .1.3.6.1.4.1.6876 Where X represents the unused port specified above, while configuring SNMP. trapsink <IT Assistant_IP_Address> <community_name> trapsink is required to send traps defined in the proprietary MIBs. 5 Run the following command to enable SNMP for VMware ESX Server: vicfg-snmp --server <ESX_IP_addr> --username root --password <password> -E 6 Run the following command to view the configuration: vicfg-snmp --server <ESX_IP_addr> --username root --password <password> -s
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7 Restart mgmt-vmware. This takes a few minutes before the service is started. service mgmt-vmware restart 8 Restart the SNMP service. Service snmpd start 9 To sustain a system reboot, start the snmpd service. Chkconfig snmpd on 10 Run the following command to send a test trap to IT Assistant: vicfg-snmp --server <ESX_IP_addr> --username root --password <password> -T NOTE: Ensure that the SNMP ports are open before sending traps to the management station by typing esxcfg-firewall -e snmpd
Sample Script for Configuring SNMP on VMware ESX Server 4.0 and Later for Discovery
IT Assistant provides a sample script ita_esx4_snmp_setup.py as an example to configure SNMP in the VMware ESX Server 4.0 environment. This script may work well in some environments, while in other environments, you may need to develop your own script entirely from the beginning. CAUTION: The sample scripts are provided as examples only and have not been tested nor are they warranted in any way by Dell; Dell disclaims any liability in connection therewith. Dell provides no technical support with regard to content herein. The script has been written to reconfigure a new non-tampered default snmp.xml and snmpd.conf files present on a ESX 4.0 System. You can find the sample script in the ITAssistant\esx4_sample_script folder. The parameters that can be passed to this script are as follows:
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Table A-2. Parameters for the Sample Script Parameter Description -c|--community -p|--port -t|--target -f|--force -d|--Debug -l|--LogFile Community name Port Number Target value for sending traps Overwrite and already configured port Debug mode Name of the log file with complete path information. The default log file is /tmp/ita_esx4_snmp_setup.log level (minimal=0 (errors only), default=1 (error and warning), maximum=2 (all types of errors)) Displays the help. Displays the script content
-v|--Verbose -h|--help -doc|--document
For example, you can run the following command: py ita_esx4_snmp_setup.py -c -p -t
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Setting Up CIM
CIM is available only on supported Microsoft Windows operating systems. NOTE: Dell OpenManage Server Administrator sends events to IT Assistant as SNMP traps. It does not send CIM indications for either instrumentation or storage events from a server.
Setting Up CIM on Your Managed Systems

This subsection provides steps for setting up CIM on managed systems running supported Windows operating systems. For more information, see "Configuring CIM for Manageability."
Recommendation for Creating a Domain Administrator
Although the following procedure describes how to add a local administrator to a supported Windows operating system, it is recommended that you create a domain administrator instead of create a user on every system managed by IT Assistant. Creating a domain user account will also aid in preventing account lockouts due to failed IT Assistant logons to systems found in the entered discovery range. For example, a discovery range of 192.168.0.* results in an attempt to log on to all 253 systems. If the credentials passed to any one of these managed systems did not authenticate, the account is locked out. In addition, the improved security in Windows XP mandates that the client be in the same domain as the IT Assistant system. Windows XP also requires a user name with a nonblank password. For more information on creating a Windows domain user account, see your Microsoft documentation. NOTE: IT Assistant requires the CIM user name and password with administrator rights that you established on the managed systems. If you are using a domain user, be sure to specify the correct domain in the user name field. A user name must always be qualified with a domain, or localhost if a domain is not present. The format is either domain\user or localhost\user. NOTE: CIM discovery requires proper user ID and password credentials. Failure to supply proper credentials on a subnet configured for CIM discovery can result in account lockout.
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For Managed Systems Running Windows 2000
NOTE: The WMI core is installed with Windows 2000 by default. 1 Click StartSettingsControl PanelAdministrative Tools Computer Management. 2 In the Computer Management (Local) tree, expand the Local Users and Groups branch and click the Users folder. 3 On the menu bar, click Action and then click New User.
a
In the New User dialog box, fill in the required information fields with the user name and password for example, CIMUser and DELL. (These are only examples for illustration; you should set user names and passwords as appropriate for your enterprise.) Ensure that you deselect the User must change password at next logon check box. Click Create.
b c
4 In the right pane of the Computer Management dialog box, double-click CIMUser. You may have to scroll through the list to locate CIMUser. 5 In the CIMUser Properties dialog box, click the Member Of tab. 6 Click Add. 7 Click Administrators, click Add, and then click OK. 8 Click OK again, and then close the Computer Management dialog box. 9 Install Client Instrumentation 7.x or Server Administrator, depending on whether the system is a client or a server. 10 Restart the system.
For Managed Systems Running Windows XP Professional
As mentioned previously, the improved security in Windows XP mandates that the client be in the same domain as the IT Assistant system. Also, when implementing your own user name and password, do not specify a blank password.
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The following steps detail how to create a local user. Dell highly recommends that you create a domain user with administrative rights so that you do not have to manually add a user to every client. This will simplify the creation of discovery ranges in IT Assistant. 1 Click StartSettingsControl PanelAdministrative Tools Computer Management. 2 In the Computer Management (Local) tree, expand the Local Users and Groups branch and click the Users folder. 3 On the menu bar, click Action and then click New User.
a b c
In the New User dialog box, fill in the required information fields with the user name CIMUser and password DELL. Ensure that you clear (deselect) the User must change password at next logon check box. Click Create.
4 In the right pane of the Computer Management dialog box, double-click CIMUser. You may have to scroll through the list to locate CIMUser. 5 In the CIMUser Properties dialog box, click the Member Of tab. 6 Click Add. 7 Click Administrators, click Add, and then click OK. 8 Click OK again, and then close the Computer Management dialog box. NOTE: IT Assistant can manage Dell client systems installed with Windows XP
Professional operating system.
9 Install Client Instrumentation 7.x or Server Administrator, depending on whether the system is a client or a server. 10 Restart the system.
For Managed Systems Running Windows Server 2003 or later
1 Click StartSettingsControl PanelAdministrative Tools Computer Management. 2 In the Computer Management (Local) tree, expand the Local Users and Groups branch and click the Users folder.
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3 On the menu bar, click Action and then click New User.
a b c
In the New User dialog box, fill in the required information fields with the user name CIMUser and password DELL. Ensure that you clear (deselect) the User must change password at next logon check box. Click Create.
4 In the right pane of the Computer Management dialog box, double-click CIMUser. You may have to scroll through the list to locate CIMUser. 5 In the CIMUser Properties dialog box, click the Member Of tab. 6 Click Add. 7 Click Administrators, click Add, and then click OK. 8 Click OK again, and then close the Computer Management dialog box. 9 Install Client Instrumentation 7.x or Server Administrator, depending on whether the system is a client or a server. 10 Restart the system.
Configuring the IPMI

For IT Assistant to be able to discover IPMI-compliant devices, you should configure the BMC on your managed system. You can also configure the BMC to send alerts to IT Assistant. You can configure the BMC from the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator GUI or from the BIOS-POST (pre-operating system environment).
Configuring BMC From the Server Administrator

1 Log into the Server Administrator home page of your managed system. 2 On the left pane, click the System object. 3 Click the Main System Chassis object.
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4 Click the Remote Access object. The BMC information window is displayed. 5 Click the Configuration tab. Under the Configuration tab, select Enable NIC and Enable IPMI Over LAN, and provide the New Encryption Key. NOTE: The value of the New Encryption Key (or the KG key) is a hexadecimal value. However, KG Key is applicable only on DellPowerEdge x9xx and
later systems, which support IPMI version 2.0. By default, KG Key is disabled on the BMC.
6 Click the Users tab. 7 Select the User ID of the administrator. 8 On the Users page, enter the user name and password. NOTE: The default user name and password are root and calvin respectively. 9 To configure the managed system to send alerts to IT Assistant, on the left pane, click the System object. 10 Click the Alert Management tab. 11 Click Platform Events. 12 Select the Generate Alert check box for the alerts to be sent. NOTE: To generate an alert, you must select both Generate Alert and Enable
Platform Events Alerts.
13 Click Apply Changes. This configures the managed system for IPMI discovery and configures the BMC to send alerts to IT Assistant. NOTE: When you configure IT Assistant to use the IPMI parameters of the BMC of your managed systems, ensure that the BMC user name, password, and the kg key values in the managed system must match those on the management station.
Configuring BMC From the BIOS POST

1 During system reboot, press <Ctrl><E> to enter the Remote Access Configuration Utility. 2 Set IPMI Over LAN to On.
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3 Select LAN Parameters and press <Enter>. Provide a hexadecimal value for RMCP+ Encryption Key. Enable LAN Alert. Provide the Alert Destination. This is the IP address of the management station to which you want to send alerts.
4 Press <Esc> to return to the Remote Access Configuration Utility. 5 Select LAN User Configuration and press <Enter>. Set this value to On. 6 Specify the user name and password. This configures the managed system for IPMI discovery and configures the BMC to send alerts to IT Assistant. NOTE: When you configure IT Assistant to use the IPMI parameters of the BMC of your managed systems, ensure that the BMC user name, password, and the kg key values in the managed system must match those on the management station.
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Utilities in Dell OpenManage IT Assistant

Dell OpenManage IT Assistant has three utilities: Import Node List Utility Database Management Utility Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Event Source Import Utility
IT Assistant Import Node List Utility

The Import Node List utility allows you to create a file that defines a discovery list comprised of managed devices, IP addresses, or IP address ranges. This utility supports any type of address that you can enter through the IT Assistant user interface. The IT Assistant import node utility uses the file to quickly import the list into IT Assistant. Using this utility provides: A convenient method for those users who have their network configuration already mapped-out in files and want to quickly import this configuration into IT Assistant A very targeted discovery, rather than specifying a general subnet for discovery, such as 10.34.56.*
To use the Import Node List utility, follow these general steps: 1 Create a file containing the list of discovery addresses and/or system names that you want to import. For each entry in the file, you must specify the protocol settings (such as the SNMP protocol's community name). To provide this information to IT Assistant, you must use a template. A template allows you to assign protocol settings to each entry in the file.
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2 Define a template that will be applied to one or more discovery ranges. You define the template by entering a discovery range with the host name of default_template. The import node list utility applies the protocol settings defined in this template to each discovery item in the file. 3 Run the utility from the command line. (The import node utility is located in the IT Assistant /bin directory.) Specify the filename for the file you created and, optionally, the template name. You can also specify the template name in the file. For example: importnodelist nodelist.txt The following options are available and may be specified in any order after the filename: -delete This option causes the template(s) used to be automatically deleted after the utility successfully imports the node list. -default <templatename> Allows for a different default template name to be used. The default name is default_template. See sample commands for more information. 4 Restart IT Assistant Services. You can use a default template to import a discovery list into IT Assistant. To import a list of nodes, perform the following steps: 1 Create a file by using the following format (do not include the <begin_file> or <end_file> specifiers): <begin_file> #This is a comment (a "#" sign at the beginning of the line means to #ignore the line). 23.45.65.34 23.45.65.35 hostname1 hostname2 23.34.55.* 12.34.56.20-30 <end_file> 272
The last line of the file must have a line feed in it. You can also use any combination of the subnet formats supported by the IT Assistant user interface. It is important to make sure that each entry is the correct format because the import node list utility does not check and validate the format for you. 2 Save the file and specify a filename, for example, nodelist.txt.
Sample Import Node List Utility Commands

Import the nodes from the file nodelist.txt: importnodelist nodelist.txt Delete the templates used after a successful import: importnodelist -delete Import the nodes from the file nodelist.txt, delete the templates used after a successful import, and use "my_template" as the default template name: importnodelist nodelist.txt -delete -default my_template
Creating Templates
To create a template for import node list utility, follow these general steps: 1 In Discovery and Monitoring, select Ranges. 2 Right-click Include Ranges in the Discovery Ranges tree and select New Include Range.... 3 In the New Discovery Wizard-Step 1 of 6, select Host Name. 4 Enter the template name in Host Name (for example, template_1). 5 Complete the wizard by entering the required protocol configurations. Template_1 can be used in import node list utility.
273
Using Multiple Templates

The import node list utility supports the use of multiple templates, where different entries in the file may each use different protocol settings and require different templates. The following import file provides an example for using multiple templates: <begin_file> #This is a comment (a "#" sign at the beginning of the line means to ignore #the line). 23.45.65.34,template1 23.45.65.35,template1 hostname1 hostname2,template2 23.34.55.*,template2 12.34.56.20-30 <end_file> In this example, the first two entries use a template named template1, while entries four and five use a template named template2. The rest of the entries use the default template. In this example, you must enter the discovery configuration ranges (from the IT Assistant user interface) of "default_template", "template1", and "template2" and configure their protocol settings appropriately (perhaps they have different SNMP community names). NOTE: Any name may be used for a template name, even an IP address or subnet range. However, it is recommended that you use names that allow for easy identification as templates.
274
Saving Templates
If multiple templates are needed to correctly configure a file of node entries, it is possible to set up the templates in IT Assistant, then export the settings for backup or some other purpose. The database management utility, dcdbmng.exe, is located in IT Assistant's /bin directory. This utility allows you to import, export, and clear IT Assistant database tables. To export templates, perform the following steps: 1 Configure all required templates in IT Assistant. 2 Export the table that contains all entered templates. Navigate to IT Assistant's /bin directory and double-click dcdbmng.exe. The database management utility interface starts. On the left tree, navigate to the Discovery Configuration table. Right-click this tree node and select Export Table. Enter a name for the file to export to. The file containing the templates can now be imported to another IT Assistant installation. You can also restore the file to a new IT Assistant installation by using the Import Table option (right click the table name in the database management utility). When the templates are imported, you can run the import node list utility on the accompanying file of node entries.
Leaving Templates in IT Assistant

If template names are addresses that are not discoverable (for example, it is unlikely that a host name such as "default_template" exists), the templates may remain in IT Assistant. IT Assistant tries to discover the item, but no results occur from the attempted discovery. If many templates are used, it is recommended that you delete the templates to avoid wasting IT Assistant discovery cycles on nondiscoverable addresses.
275
Database Management Utility

The Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Database Management Utility has two implementations: a graphical user interface (GUI) and a command line interface. Both versions of the utility allow users to perform operations on databases and tables that reside in the IT Assistant data repository. NOTE: The IT Assistant 6.x database schema is not directly compatible with the IT Assistant 7.x database schema. Only certain tables in the IT Assistant 6.x database schema will be migrated, such as discovery configuration, global configuration, and alert action tables. The database schema can only be migrated during an upgrade of IT Assistant. NOTE: IT Assistant does not support a direct upgrade from version 6.x to version 8.3. You will be required to first upgrade to IT Assistant version 7.0 and then to version 8.3. You must start the GUI version of the Database Management Utility separately from IT Assistant. When you start the utility, a window opens that contains database and table management functions. The command line application performs the functions of the GUI utility along with a few others.
Using the Command Line Database Management Utility

At a command prompt, change directory to \Program Files\Dell\SysMgt\IT Assistant\bin. Type dcdbmng followed by a switch that specifies the command you want. To see a list of valid switches, type: dcdbmng /h OR dcdbmng /H OR dcdbmng /? NOTE: Type a space between the dcdbmng command and the / (forward slash).
276
This command displays a dialog box that lists commands that you can use to do the following: Install the appropriate database engine (Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) for IT Assistant version 7.x and earlier or SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 for IT Assistant version 8.2 and later). Start and stop the database engine. Attach and detach database files to and from the database engine. Import and export tables and databases. NOTE: Due to the differences in the way that Microsoft encrypts data
between operating system versions, exporting IT Assistant database tables with encrypted passwords from one version of a Microsoft operating system (for example, Windows 2000) and importing into another version (for example, Windows 2003) is not supported.

Help
Clear tables. Restore data for the global IT Assistant configuration or the event management system configuration only.
Command: dcdbmng /h or dcdbmng /H or dcdbmng /? Description: Displays the command line options.
Attach Database
Command: dcdbmng /A path or dcdbmng /a path Description: Attaches the single database file specified by path to the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 or the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP2.
Clear Table
Command: dcdbmng /Z tablename or dcdbmng /z tablename Description: Removes all the rows from the specified table, but does not delete the table.
277
Detach Database
Command: dcdbmng /R or dcdbmng /r Description: Detaches the attached database file from the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 or the SQL 2005 Server SP2. NOTE: The detached database file remains in the location from where it was attached to the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 or the SQL Server 2005 SP2.
Export Table
Command: dcdbmng /E tablename filename or dcdbmng /e tablename filename Description: Exports the data in the table specified by tablename to the flat text file specified by filename. If the flat text file does not exist, the utility creates it. If filename does not include path information, the utility creates the file in the local directory.
Export Database
Command: dcdbmng /X path or dcdbmng /x path Description: Exports data from all tables in the database to flat text files in the location specified by path. NOTE: The utility creates the files in the location specified by path in the format of tablename.txt.
Import Table
Command: dcdbmng /I tablename path [migrate] or dcdbmng /i tablename path [migrate] Description: Imports data to the table specified by tablename from the flat text file specified in path.
Import Database
Command: dcdbmng /M path or dcdbmng /m path Description: Imports data to all tables in the database from flat text files in the location specified by path.
278
Install MSDE
Command: dcdbmng /N or dcdbmng /n Description: Silently installs MSDE. NOTE: The MSDEx85.exe and iss files must be placed in the correct location.
Start Server
Command: dcdbmng /T or dcdbmng /t Description: Starts the MSSQLServer service.
Stop Server
Command: dcdbmng /P or dcdbmng /p Description: Stops the MSSQLServer service.
Suppress Messages
When you run the Database Management Utility as a command line application, you receive messages when commands succeed or fail. The command to suppress messages halts these notifications. Command: dcdbmng /S Description: Runs without displaying any messages (whether the action was successful or unsuccessful). This command is useful if you are running the utility from a batch file. NOTE: Using /S with no other option causes the command to be ignored.
Simple Network Management Protocol Event Source Import Utility

You can import multiple event sources, not natively supported in IT Assistant, into the IT Assistant database. Create a text file containing the appropriate event source information. After creation, this text file will not be available for sharing between multiple users of the product. Run a Command Line Interface (CLI) utility (you can find the this utility in <install folder of IT Assistant>/bin) to import the text file data into the IT Assistant database.
279
Ensure that the text file format complies with the following formatting rules: 1 The format for the usage of the utility must be: ImportEventSources.exe <fully qualified path\filename> 2 All values of a particular Event Source must be bar-separated. 3 Each Event Source entry must be on a separate line. 4 The format of entries for each Event Source must be: <EventCategoryName>|<EventSourceName>|<Severity>| <Format String>|<SNMPEnterpriseOID>|<SNMPGenericTrapID>|< SNMPSpecificTrapID>|<EventPackageName> 5 The format for severity strings by value must be: <ObjectId>,<ObjectValue>,<Severity>;<ObjectId1>, <ObjectValue1>, <Severity1> 6 EventSourceName cannot be NULL or an empty string. NOTE: If the EventCategoryName is an empty string, the category is defaulted
to Other. If the category name does not match any of the pre-defined category types in IT Assistant, a new Event Category is created with the category name that you enter. predefined severity strings, an appropriate error message is displayed.
NOTE: If the severity string entered in the input file does not match the NOTE: A combination of EnterpriseOID, Generic TrapID, and SpecificTrapID
for each event should be unique. Also, the combination of EventSourceName and EventPackageName is validated to check if the entry is unique.
NOTE: Enter two consecutive bars (" || ") to represent NULL or empty strings. The following is a sample MIB entry. -- Lower Critical threshold crossed asfTrapFanSpeedProblem TRAP-TYPE ENTERPRISE asfPetEvts DESCRIPTION "Generic Critical Fan Failure"
280
--#SUMMARY --#ARGUMENTS --#SEVERITY ::= 262402
"Generic Critical Fan Failure" {} CRITICAL
The conversion process is as follows: EventCategory : Environmental NOTE: IT Assistant has a set of pre-defined categories (Environmental, General Redundancy, Keyboard-Video-Mouse (KVM), Memory, Physical Disk, Power, Printers, Processor, Security, Storage Enclosure, Storage Peripheral, Storage Software, System Events, Tape, Virtual Disk, and Other). The event could fall under any of these categories. However, a new category can also be created. EventSourceName : asfTrapFanSpeedProblem Severity : Critical [--#SEVERITY] NOTE: IT Assistant categorizes events under the following categories: Ok, Warning, Critical, Information, and Unknown. Format String : Generic Critical Fan Failure [-#SUMMARY] EnterpriseOID : .1.3.6.1.4.1.3183.1.1 (To get the EnterpriseOID, compile the MIB, in this case "DcAsfSrv.mib", in MG-Soft or any other MIB browser.) GenericTrapId : 6 SpecificTrapId : 262402 [::=] EventPackageName : ASF (You can get this information from the MIB. Open the MIB. The EventPackageName is displayed within [--Begin Definition].) If there is no package present under which the EventSource falls, you can provide a new category name. The final entry in the text file will be similar to: Environmental|asfTrapFanSpeedProblem|Critical|Generic Critical Fan Failure|.1.3.6.1.4.1.3183.1.1|6|262402|ASF NOTE: In case the import file contains a non-existing category, the category will be created.
281
282
Status Indicators
Device Group Status and Health Indicators
Table C-1. Device Group Status and Health Indicators Group is empty.
This appendix describes the indicators that display on the IT Assistant user interface (UI).
Group contains only healthy systems. All systems are powered on. Group contains at least one system with a warning condition. All systems are powered on. Group contains at least one system with a critical condition. All systems are powered on. Group contains only healthy systems and at least one system that is powered down. Group contains at least one system with a warning condition and at least one system that is powered down. Group contains at least one system with a critical condition and at least one system that is powered down. Group contains at least one uninstrumented system and all systems in the group are powered on. Group contains at least one uninstrumented system and at least one system is powered down.
NOTE: In Topology View, all the above icons will be superimposed on the respective device icon and mean the same as the description in the above table.
Status Indicators
283
System and Device Status and Health Indicators

Table C-2. System and Device Status and Health Indicators System has an unknown health condition. System or device is healthy. System or device has a warning condition. System or device has a critical condition. System or device is a VMware ESX Server virtual machine. System or device is powered on. System is powered down, last detected condition was unknown. System is powered down, last detected condition was healthy. System is powered down, last detected condition was warning. System is powered down, last detected condition was critical. System or device is a virtual machine on VMware ESX Server. System or device is powered down.
284
Status Indicators
Alert Indicators
Alert Severity Indicators
Table C-3. Alert Severity Indicators Unknown alert Normal alert Warning alert Critical alert
Alert Acknowledgement Indicators

Table C-4. Alert Ackowledgement Indicators Alert acknowledged
Alert Action Indicators

Table C-5. Alert Action Indicators Alert action is of type application launch. Alert action is of type e-mail. Alert action is of type trap forwarding.
Status Indicators
285
Task Scheduling Indicators

Table C-6. Task Scheduling Indicators Schedule is enabled. Schedule not enabled.
Execution Logs Indicators

Task Execution Log Indicators
Table C-7. Task Execution Log Indicators Task is running. Task completed successfully. Task failed. (In Task Execution Summary) Task executed with no errors, but required user intervention, such as reboot, to complete the task. Task was stopped.
Performance and Power Monitoring Log Indicators

Table C-8. Performance and Power Monitoring Log Indicators Attribute value retrieved successfully. Unable to retrieve attribute value. This may be because device is not configured to supply data for the attributes(s). Failed to collect values for one or more attributes or the attribute is not supported on that system.
286
Status Indicators
Application Log Indicators

Table C-9. Application Logs Indicators Informational message Warning message. Critical message.
Update Log Indicators

Table C-10. Update Logs Indicators Online Synchronization is in progress. Online Synchronization completed successfully. Online Synchronization completed with errors.
Discovery Ranges Indicators

Include Ranges Indicators
Table C-11. Include Ranges Indicators Scheduled discovery and inventory is enabled. Scheduled discovery and inventory is disabled.
Status Indicators
287
Performance and Power Monitoring Indicators

Table C-12. Performance and Power Monitoring Indicators Task is running. Task is yet to start or has paused. Task completed successfully. Attribute value has exceeded its warning threshold. Attribute value has exceeded its critical threshold. Failed to collect values for one or more attributes.
Software Updates Indicators

Table C-13. Software Update Indicators Repository Read-only repository Customization attribute for the view. Update Package in the repository. In case of Online Repository, it is the package that has been downloaded during Online Repository synchronization. Update Package in Online Repository that has not been downloaded, but referenced in the last synchronized catalog. System Bundle in the Online repository, IT Assistant repository and Server Update Utility repository.
288
Status Indicators
Table C-13. Software Update Indicators (continued) Custom Bundle in IT Assistant repository. System bundle in Online Repository that has not been downloaded, but referenced in the last synchronized catalog.
Repository Comparison Results Indicators

Table C-14. Repository Comparison Results Indicators Source version of update package/ bundle is lower than target version. Source version of update package/ bundle is higher than target version. Exact match of the update package/bundle. There is no equivalent update package/ bundle in the target repository to be compared with. The versions of the update package/bundle are equal, but there is a mismatch between the MD5 hash of the update package/bundle.
Import Dialog
Table C-15. Import Dialog Indicators Package is ready to be imported into the IT Assistant repository. This update package/bundle will be downloaded before being imported to the IT Assistant repository. Download in progress. Import of update package/bundle in progress. Import successful
Status Indicators
289
Table C-15. Import Dialog Indicators (continued) Import failed
Favorite Application Indicators

Table C-16. Favorite Application Indicators Executable favorite application launch. Web address (URL) favorite application launch.
Troubleshooting Tool Indicators

Table C-17. Troubleshooting Test Result Indicators Test successful Test failed
Task Import Result Indicators

Table C-18. Task Import Result Indicators Selected task has been imported successfully. Selected task already exists. Task is not selected for import. Task selected for import.
290
Status Indicators
Device Compliance Result Indicators

Table C-19. Device Compliance Result Indicators Device version is equal to the update package/bundle version in the repository. Device version is lower than the version of the update package/bundle in the repository. Device version is higher than the version of the update package/bundle in the repository. Device version does not meet the pre-requisite for the update package/bundle.
Status Indicators
291
292
Status Indicators
Index
A
adding users, 222 agents on systems, 56 alert filters, 20 Alert Management FAQ, 238 ASF, 48, 161, 208
D
Database Management Utility, 276 database schema information, 177 disabling users, 223 Discovery FAQ, 240 DMI support, 26 Dynamic VMware Host Group, 36
C
CIM, 90, 251 Classic View, 44 Compliance Tool, 36 configuring discovery cycle, 111 discovery ranges, 102, 117 discovery settings, 99, 114 inventory settings, 100, 115 SNMP 112, 252 , status polling settings, 101, 116 system to send SNMP traps, 256 creating alert action, 109, 126 alert action filter, 107, 124 custom groups, 123 device control task, 158 reports, 175 users, 221 custom reporting, 172
E
e-mail notification, 54 enabling SNMP, 256
F
FAQ, 225 frequently asked questions, 225
G
generic command line, 159
Index
293
H
hardware configuration, 53 HTTP, 216 HTTPS, 217
troubleshooting tool, 28 user authentication, 26 user preferences, 29 IT Assistant Services FAQ, 239 IT Assistant UI FAQ, 234
I
Import Node List utility, 271 installation prerequisites, 49 database, 54 operating system, 51 summary, 63 systems management protocols, 55 installing IT Assistant, 70 SNMP, 68 IPMI command line, 159, 161 IT Assistant components IT Assistant system, 24 managed system, 24 services, 24 user interface, 24 IT Assistant features application launch, 26 dynamic groups, 26 enhanced inventory cycle, 29 managing tasks, 27 native install, 25 reporting, 28 single sign-on, 25 software updates, 28 topology view, 26 294
Index
L
LDAP, 217
M
managing tasks, 177 Modular Disks, 55-56, 94
N
network management station, 25
O
Online Synchronization, 36
P
performance monitoring, 131 power monitoring, 132 Power Off, 160 Power On, 160
R
RBAC, 70, 87 RDP, 217 remote client instrumentation command line, 159 remote management identifying groups, 19 Remote Microsoft SQL Server and IT Assistant, 78 reports creating, 175 customized reports, 20 editing, deleting, running, 177 pre-defined, 171 RMC, 217 RMCP, 93, 162 RPC, 216
best practices, 89 optimal configuration, 90 software deployment, 162 software updates, 143, 168 using, 144, 153 SQL server, 54 SQL Server 2005 Express, 54 SSH, 215 starting IT Assistant, 87 systems management protocol, 55 CIM, 55 SNMP 55 , systems you want to monitor, 56
T
tasks command line, 158 device control, 160 enable configuration management, 21 export-import, 169 exporting, 169 Telnet, 215 Top IT Assistant Questions, 225
S
securing managed systems, 208-209 security and IT Assistant, 213 security and SNMP, 210 Shut down Operating System first, 160 Simplified Repository View, 36 single sign-on, 219 SMTP, 215 SNMP, 88, 98, 216, 251
U
UDP, 215 uninstalling IT Assistant, 77
Index
295
user privileges, 220 users adding, 222 creating, 221 disabling, 223 using IT Assistant, 98 using software updates, 153
V
views of systems, 20
W
Web packs, 164 Windows authentication, 220
296
Index

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Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Version 8.

Notes and Cautions

IT Assistant Services Tier Managed System . Utilities

Integrated Features Native Install

Power and Performance Monitoring . Troubleshooting Tool

Privilege Levels in the IT Assistant UI . Other Information You May Need

Getting Started With Dell OpenManage IT Assistant

Whats New for Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Version 8.7 . . . . . . . .

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP1

Enhanced Software Deployment Using IT Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Online Synchronization Enhancement Simplified Repository View . Power Monitoring

Dell Client Manager Launch Storage Integration .

Exporting and Importing Tasks . Performance Monitoring .

Power Control Tasks

Planning Your Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Installation . . . . . . .

Decisions That You Make Before Installation. Primary Planning Questions .

Selecting the Operating System . Selecting the Web Browser .

Selecting a Hardware Configuration

Determining Systems Management Protocols Supported Protocols SNMP .

Factors That Affect Protocol Choice . Summary of Pre-Installation Decisions .

Installing, Uninstalling, and Upgrading Dell OpenManage IT Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Setting Up RBAC User Information Prerequisite Checker Installing IT Assistant

Upgrading from Previous Version of IT Assistant . . . . . . . . . . .

Configuring Dell OpenManage IT Assistant to Monitor Your Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

IT Assistant in Real-World User Scenarios .

95 95 95 96 96 97 97 97 98 98 99 100 101 102

Using the Troubleshooting Tool .

Discovery in Janes Small-to-Medium Size Business . . . . . . . . . . . . .

107 107 109 110 111 111 112

113 114 115 116 117

Configuring Inventory Settings Configuring Discovery Ranges

Notification Alert Actions in the Enterprise Environment . . . . . Creating an Alert Action

Using IPMI Discovery in Toms Enterprise-Size Business . . .

Viewing Information on a Non-Dell System . . . . . Summary

Performance and Power Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . .

132 132 133 135

Using Software Web Updates .

Synchronizing IT Assistant With the Dell Website . . . . . . . .

149 151 151 153 153 155

Creating a Command Line Task

Tasks Available in Command Line

Creating a Device Control Task

Ready-made Reports . Custom Reporting

Creating a New Report

Choosing a query-based report: Compliance Tool Report

Editing, Deleting, or Running Reports .

IT Assistant Database Schema Information .

11 Ensuring a Secure Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Installation . . . . . . . . . . . .

Securing Managed Server Systems .

Securing the Managed Systems Operating System . . . . . . . . .

Security and the SNMP Protocol .

12 Frequently Asked Questions

Scope and Capabilities of IT Assistant IT Assistant User Interface Alert Management .

Performance Monitoring . IPMI Discovery Support Miscellaneous .

A Configuring Protocols to Send Information to Dell OpenManage IT Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SNMP Community Names in IT Assistant and Server Administrator

Configuring SNMP Service on a System Running Supported Windows Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . .

254 256 256

Setting Up CIM on Your Managed Systems . . . Configuring the IPMI .

B Utilities in Dell OpenManage IT Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Using Multiple Templates .

Leaving Templates in IT Assistant Database Management Utility .

Alert Acknowledgement Indicators